Microsoft has now confirmed what was once a rumor: Microsoft Office 8.1 will be released on Oct. 17.
In a blog post titled "Mark your calendars for Windows 8.1!" on Wednesday the Redmond-based software giant confirmed the rumors that the updated operating system will be out by the end of October. To be exact, Microsoft is rolling out the updated Windows 8 starting "at 12:00 a.m. on Oct. 18 in New Zealand (that's 4:00 a.m. October 17 in Redmond)." That's 7:00 a.m. EST, so if you want to get up early (or stay up late) to be the first with Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1, you know what day to do it.
Why would anyone be excited about an incremental update to an operating system? Because, if you were a Microsoft fan who didn't like the sweeping, touchscreen-friendly changes in Windows 8, you're going to get a little treat.
Microsoft 8.1 represents a little compromise with the desktop users of the operating system. While not giving them back their "Start Menu," the Windows 8.1 upgrade does have a "Start" button, which takes you back to the tiled "Start" screen. On top of that, you can right click that Start button to bring up a menu complete with Control Panel, task manager, search, run, and shut down options - just like essentials in the old Start menu.
There are a few other upgrades (or back-grades) that old-school Windows users will appreciate. One is a new capability to boot your computer directly to the desktop (or other custom boot up locations). For the Windows fogeys, this is like booting up to the desktop in the old days - before all of this tiled nonsense got in the way. And for the people who actually find the tiles useful, it's just an option, so they still get what they want by default.
Read this walkthrough for more new features that Windows 8.1 will be bringing to Microsoft customers, starting Oct. 17. And don't forget to mark your calendar.
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