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AP: Windows 8.1 fails at its mission

Published Jun 27th, 2013 10:15AM EDT
Windows 8.1 Analysis

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Microsoft’s new Windows 8.1 update has one mission and one mission alone: Get users who were critical of Windows 8 and fearful of switching to an operating system designed primarily for touch input to finally embrace the new platform. In that regard, the Associated Press seems to believe that Windows 8.1 has failed. AP’s Ryan Nakashima “reviewed” Windows 8.1 as thoroughly as someone can “review” something after spending just a few hours with it, and he came away with mixed feelings. While Windows 8.1 does include a “grab bag of fun features that make the free update worthwhile,” Nakashima isn’t convinced that Microsoft went far enough to win back the minds and wallets of users stuck in the past with older versions of the Windows platform.

“After some hands-on time with [Windows 8.1], the update seems to me like a patch over an ever-widening chasm,” Nakashima wrote in his review.

He continued, “The issue is that there are over a billion personal computers that use some version of Windows as it existed until last October, when Microsoft unveiled Windows 8. All those PCs are responsive to mice and keyboards, not the touch screens and other input methods like voice and gestures that represent the future of computing. Making it easier to cross that bridge is one of the goals of Windows 8.1, a preview version of which Microsoft released Wednesday.”

Did Windows 8.1 succeed? Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it. “After spending several hours with devices running Windows 8.1, it remains unclear to me whether a touch-based environment is what traditional Windows users want to accomplish the productive tasks for which they’ve come to rely on Windows,” Nakashima noted.

A public preview of Windows 8.1 is available to all users for free right now, and the final version of the update will be released in the coming months.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.