Updated: July 14, 2020 (April 21, 2014)
Analyst ReportWindows 8.1 Updated
Windows 8.1 Update arrived in early Apr. 2014 along with an update for Windows Server 2012 R2. The update is designed to simplify the Windows user interface (UI) on computers without touch, making it increasingly similar to the UI on Windows 7. The update will be required for enterprise systems to receive future updates from Microsoft beginning in Aug. 2014, causing many organizations to scramble to test and deploy the update in time. The update does not include some much-requested features (such as a Start menu) that Microsoft plans for later, and Group Policy management requires Windows Server 2012 R2 Update.
What’s New in Windows 8.1 Update
Windows 8.1, delivered in Oct. 2013, sought to ease some of the difficulty of using the OS by users of Windows 8 on systems without touch. It restored a Start button to the desktop UI and improved navigability of the Start screen, which is used to launch applications in the full-screen Modern UI that was introduced with Windows 8. Windows 8.1 Update, delivered on Apr. 2014, continues this evolution by integrating the Modern and Windows desktop UIs more tightly for systems without touch. The Update also delivers better compatibility for Web sites designed for Internet Explorer (IE) 8. These enhancements and two new features planned for a future update should help businesses ease the apprehension of users being migrated to the new OS and ensure better compatibility for existing Web applications.
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