Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows 8.1 Update 1, which is not supposed to be available until later this year, can be downloaded now, if PC owners know a very few tricks. The much anticipated upgrade to the Windows 8.1 operating system should alter some of the features of the product that have caused it to be criticized and even rejected by millions of users. Microsoft will not release a more important piece of software this year.
According to tech site Neowin:
If you are willing to make a few tweaks to your registry, you can get Windows 8.1 update 1 right now. By adding a value to your registry, this will give you access to download and will get you the bits right now, without accessing any third-party.
It is hard to gauge how many people have the skills to accomplish this, but it is unusual that such an important product could be accessible before its official release, which is likely to be late in the first week in April.
Microsoft Windows 8 meant to mimic much of the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iOS interface. Apple’s software is considered more intuitive and easier to use. This has not turned out to be the case for people and businesses that have used earlier versions of Windows for decades. Whatever the operating system’s flaws, it had be adapted by users of almost every PC made in the world.
Microsoft only has two ways out of the Windows 8 debacle. The first is through 8.1 Update 1. However, it remains a mystery whether the upgrade will satisfy the public. Alternatively, Microsoft could reset Windows so that it is like earlier versions as part of a version 9 release. However, that could be many months away.
Whether Windows 8.1 Update 1 is available now, or in a few weeks, it will only take a few more weeks to find out if the upgrade is a success with customers. If not, Microsoft faces a long and anxious wait. With the rise of other operating systems like Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android, the wait could also be financially painful.
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