Microsoft to offer Windows 8.1 update free

DPA Updated - March 12, 2018 at 05:01 PM.

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Microsoft has decided not to charge users of Windows 8 for an eagerly awaited update to the new operating system which has been criticised for confusing customers.

Tami Reller, Microsoft’s Chief Financial Officer, announced the welcome news in a speech at the JP Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in Boston, according to a Microsoft blog posting.

The update will be known as Windows 8.1 and will be a free update to consumers through the Windows Store. A public preview of the new software will be released on June 26, Reller said.

Windows 8 has been widely criticised for the radical change to the graphical user interface that it introduced. The software, introduced last year replaced the traditional start button with a mosaic of tiles that work well on touch screens but feel confusing to many users of laptops and desktops.

Microsoft has not committed to a return of the start button, but the move is widely expected.

Published on May 15, 2013 06:05