Windows has announced that the mysterious Windows 8 update known previously as "Windows Blue" is to be known in the wild as Windows 8.1.
Microsoft's chief financial officer for Windows, Tami Reller, announced the free patch yesterday, stating that many of the changes to be introduced are as a result of "feedback" from customers, which Microsoft has listened to "with an open mind".
Expected changes include the simple act of allowing Windows 8 to boot into the standard desktop screen - featuring a Start button - which may prove more palatable for laptop users who are operating Windows 8 without the benefit of a touch screen.
A release date for the patch, which Reller confirmed "is more substantial than what we deliver in those weekly updates" was not confirmed, but Microsoft stated it will be available from the Windows App Store when it arrives, and that a preview build of Windows 8.1 will be available in time for Microsoft's Build conference on June 26 in San Francisco. It was also stated the patch will appear before the winter holidays.
Reller described Microsoft's approach to updating Windows as "principled but not stubborn", adding, "You need to have a vision. You need to have a point of view. And you need to consistently deliver on that.
"You're also consistently listening, learning and becoming smarter," added Reller.
Reller's comments could be seen as an attempt to deflect recent "U-turn" criticism of Microsoft's decision to improve Windows 8 after CEO Steve Ballmer famously said before the OS's release in 2012 that he was "betting the company" on its success.
