Latest News: Windows 8.1: release date, screenshots, features

Windows 8.1 shall be released for public preview at Microsoft's Build conference on 26 June. Right here we reveal the new features, screenshots and movies of the primary main replace to windows 8.

Windows 8.1 is the primary replace to be released underneath the new "Home windows Blue" scheme, and will mark a shift to annual updates, just like how Apple releases versions of OS X. 

Change log

This feature was updated on 24 June 2013 with further details of the public preview (see subhead below)

Frank X Shaw, Microsoft's corporate vice-president of communications, said the "continuous development cycle" introduced by Windows 8.1 will become "the new normal across Microsoft", confirming the update model will apply to products beyond Windows 8 and RT, including Windows Phone and Server.
Windows 8.1 will be a free update available from the Windows Store, for both Windows 8 and Windows RT. The final version is expected to be released in the autumn.

Windows 8.1 Public Preview

The Windows 8.1 Public Preview will be made available via the Windows Store, or as an ISO download from the Microsoft website. Microsoft will make a product key available for the latter on the download page.
The preview will reportedly only run on devices signed in with a Microsoft account, although you will be able to use a local account for the full release.
It will have the same system requirements as Windows 8 - 1GHz processor, 2GB of RAM (for 64-bit editions) and at least 20GB of hard disk space. Windows RT 8.1 users will reportedly need at least 10GB of free space on their device before they will be allowed to proceed with the Windows 8.1 installation.
Note that if you install the Windows 8.1 Public Preview over your current Windows 8 installation, you will have to reinstall all Windows Store and desktop apps when the the final version is released, so you might not wish to test the new OS on your primary PC. All user data and accounts should be retained.

Start button returns

Developer builds of Windows 8.1 have confirmed that the much-missed desktop Start button will return - although not in the form many have hoped for.
The Windows logo will now appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the desktop, sporting exactly the same appearance and behaviours as the Start charm that zooms in from the right-hand side of the screen. In fact, leaked screenshots look almost identical to the Start8 add-on created by Stardock (pictured below).

Pressing the Start button on the desktop will simply send users back to the Windows 8 Start screen. It won't open an old-fashioned Start menu, like the one that comes with Start8. However, reports suggest that users will be able to tweak the Start button to jump to the All Apps screen instead, which might make it slightly easier to find an application that's not already pinned to the taskbar.

Direct to desktop

Windows 8.1 will also feature an option to bypass the much-maligned tile-based Start Screen.
The new Start Screen has proven controversial, with many desktop and laptop users bemoaning the fact that they can't simply skip straight to the more mouse-and-keyboard friendly desktop of old.
According to Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows, boot straight to desktop is included in developer builds of Windows 8.1, although not switched on by default.
The new "larger" desktop tile that appears on leaked builds of Windows 8.1 (see below) is a further indication that customers want easier access to the traditional desktop.

Start screen wallpaper and lock screen

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 8.1 will allow users to set their own wallpaper on the Start screen. Currently, users are merely allowed to choose from a selection of preset "accents" and to select a colour scheme.
The Settings charm includes a new Personalize option that provides more granular control over the appearance of the Start menu backgrounds and colours, including the accent colour of the Start charm itself.
Windows 8.1 also includes new "motion accents" - animated wallpapers that move as you scroll through the Start screen.
The lock screen can now be used as a digital photo frame, displaying a slideshow of images stored on the user's PC or in cloud services such as SkyDrive.

New tile sizes

Windows 8.1 will offer support for more tile sizes. Windows 8 supports two - "smaller" and "larger" - but Blue throws another two sizes into the mix. App tiles can now be reduced down to thumbnail size, occupying only a quarter of the space an existing "smaller" tile occupies.
There’s also a new super-sized tile, the size of two of Windows 8’s "larger" tiles. This allows you to display more live information on tiles such as Mail and Weather, providing a detailed synopsis of recent messages in your inbox or a long-range weather forecast, for example.

Revamped search

One of the biggest criticisms of Windows 8 was that the search menu had been hobbled, only returning results for apps by default. Windows 8.1 reverts to a unified search menu, which as you can see from the screenshot above, returns results for apps, settings and files as you begin to type.