Microsoft shared some more news about its upcoming Windows update on Tuesday, informally known as Windows Blue: it will be officially called Windows 8.1, and it will be a free update to Windows 8 for consumers through the Windows store.
The news was released by Tami Reller, corporate vice-president and CFO of Microsoft’s Windows division, at the JP Morgan Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in Boston. Reller told attendees that Microsoft is focused on delivering continual updates to Windows, and Windows 8.1 is the next step in that strategy that began with the launch of Windows 8.
Microsoft also confirmed a public preview of Windows 8.1 for both Windows 8 and Windows RT will be available June 26, coinciding with its Build developer conference in San Francisco. The timeline for wider consumer availability of the final release still unclear, but Reller did say she wants to see product shipping with Windows 8.1 preloaded before the important holiday shopping season.
Reller did not provide insight, however, on what will be in 8.1. Recent rumours have stirred optimism of significant tweaks, such as the return of the Start Button and the option for PC users to boot directly to the desktop. Reller didn’t dispel or confirm those rumours, but took pains to position 8.1 as a seamless upgrade and didn’t mention any changes to the user interface.
In a Q&A on Microsoft’s Windows Blog last week, Reller said the vendor is pleased with the performance of Windows 8 so far.
“Windows 8 is a big, ambitious change,” said Reller. “While we realize that change takes time, we feel good about the progress since launch, including what we’ve been able to accomplish with the ecosystem and customer reaction to the new PCs and tablets that are available now or will soon come to market.”