Microsoft has launched the Windows 8.1 preview - an early glimpse at the unfinalised update designed to improve the Windows 8 operating system.
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Although the software remains fundamentally unchanged, there are a number of amendments of varying significance which should help to quell some of the criticism which has been levelled at Windows 8 since its launch in October 2012.
The Start Button
Among the most anticipated of the changes is the return of the Start button, which in the public beta version of the code resides in its familiar position in the lower left corner of the screen. Instead of automatically bringing up a host of options as it did in Windows 7 and earlier versions, it now allows the user to type in what they're looking for, before displaying the closest matching results. However, right clicking on the button brings up a more familiar menu, which includes the control panel, and shut down and restart.
Search
The new search tool enables users to search within the file directories of the computer itself, but also to extend that search out to the wider internet, including files stored in the user's SkyDrive account.
It also dives into the user's apps, for instance displaying relevant songs from the XBox Music service and allowing them to be played straight from the search tool.
Boot to Desktop
Like the Start Button, this is another oft-requested feature which has found its way into the update. Many desktop and laptop users have stated their irritation at being forced to boot to the Modern UI, which is arguably less relevant on a non-touch enabled device. Windows 8.1 allows the machine to be configured to boot to desktop, bypassing the Modern UI completely.
Apps - Four on screen at once
The update allows users to see four apps on-screen at once, if they have a screen with sufficient resolution. Previously only two apps could be seen at the same time, and even then one of them was relegated to the side bar.
Dragging application windows across multiple display environments will now also resize them to fit the resolution of each screen, meaning a better use of display real estate.
Windows Store
Moving on from apps, the Store itself has had a facelift, with a heavier emphasis on ratings and recommendations rather than simple categories.
In a move which will interest device obsessives, Microsoft has removed the five device limit on the number of machines purchased apps can be installed upon, instead hinting at complex algorithms designed to detect and deter license-dodging shenanigans.
