Microsoft May Release ‘Free’ Windows 8.1 Upgrade

Following rumours that Microsoft is planning to cut its OEM fees for Windows and Windows Phone, the software company is reportedly planning to go further and offer a free version of Windows 8.1.

Microsoft “is building ‘Windows 8.1 with Bing,’ a version that will bundle key Microsoft apps and services”, according to a 28 February report from The Verge citing unnamed sources.

Experimental project

“While early versions of the software have leaked online, we understand that Windows 8.1 with Bing is an experimental project that aims to bring a low-cost version of Windows to consumers”, the report stated.

Currently, Net Application, a web analytics company, ranks Windows 7 as the world’s most popular desktop operating system, with 47.31 percent of the market (as of February 2014). Windows XP, which Microsoft will stop supporting next month, takes the number-two spot, with 29.53 percent. Windows 8.x (versions 8 and 8.1 collectively) is a distant third, with 10.68 percent of the market.

Microsoft’s strategy to get XP users to ditch the aging OS hinges largely on urging them to upgrade to a new generation of Windows 8 tablets, convertibles and PCs. For the scores of Windows 7 users, the company is apparently making an appeal to their wallets.

“We’re told that Microsoft is aiming to position Windows 8.1 with Bing as a free or low-cost upgrade for Windows 7 users,” added Warren.

The leak suggests that Windows with Bing may materialise around the time Microsoft issues the Windows 8.1 spring update. Acknowledging that the update is on the way, Microsoft’s Windows mobility chief Joe Belfiore said during Mobile World Congress late last month that the company will “continue to deliver innovation and progression with an update to Windows 8.1, coming this spring”, according to a 23 February blog post.

Microsoft is expected to show off more of the spring update during its upcoming Build developer’s conference. Releasing Windows 8.1 with Bing shortly thereafter could provide a relatively smooth upgrade path for Windows 7 devices, which were generally built with keyboards and mice in mind, not touch-screens.

Touch vs. keyboard

After its launch, Windows 8 was criticised for prioritising touch features over the conventional keyboard- and mouse-driven desktop. The spring update should strike a better balance between both input methods.

Belfiore stated that his company has “a number of targeted UI improvements that keep our highly satisfying touch experience intact, but that make the UI more familiar and more convenient for users with mouse/keyboard”.

Despite making concessions to conventional Windows users, Microsoft isn’t slowing down on touch features. “Don’t worry, we still love and believe in touch … but you’ll like how much more smooth and convenient these changes make mouse and keyboard use,” he added.

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Originally published on eWeek.