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Microsoft has announced that manufacturers will be able to prepare their devices with the Windows 8.1 update in time for Christmas.
Revealed at today’s Worldwide Partner Conference, chief marketing officer Tami Reller said the Windows 8.1 operating system will be available to manufacturers from August.
Although no exact date has been set, existing Windows 8 users are expected to get the OS update for free later this year.
Windows 8.1, previously codenamed Windows Blue, was announced in May. Last month it was revealed that the update will bring back the ‘Start Button’ that Windows 8 decided to ditch.
Gartner recently stated that it believed Windows 8.1 could ‘quiet most of its detractors’, citing the return of the Start Button and the straight-to-desktop boot function as some of the main factors for this. The analysts even recommended businesses introducing new PCs to adopt Windows 8.1 following a successful testing period.
