Microsoft Windows 8.1 review

WINDOWS 8.1 APPS – APPY DAYS?

The core apps have also been improved. The previously clumsy Music app now has a much more streamlined interface and is more effectively integrated with Microsoft’s Xbox Music streaming service, making it easy to search for the music you want to hear. The free version of the service gives you unlimited access to a vast collection of music for six months, after which you can stream up to 10 hours of music per month. Subscriptions are available if you need greater access to streaming music.

The Music app gives you access to the Xbox Music streaming service

You can also play music from your hard disk and from other Windows PCs on your network. Unfortunately, non-Windows network shares, such as the NAS device we used for testing, aren’t supported by Music as it’s unable to index them properly. It’s still by no means the best audio player you can get for the PC, and many users will still prefer Windows Media Player, but the Music app has become much more comfortable to use.

The Reader app, which opens PDF files, was one of our least favourite Windows 8 apps due to its slow response times and limited features. It’s been lightly improved and now lets you open multiple documents in the same Reader session, with different PDFs displayed in a bar at the top of the screen. It also feels a little faster, and the ability to split then screen so that you can use two apps or an app and desktop at the same time makes it useful if you want to have a PDF manual open at the same time as an app. Sadly, it’s still no substitute for Adobe Reader.

The app that’s seen the greatest improvement is Photos. It’s smoother, more streamlined and now lets you flick through any directory of photos, even if they aren’t in the program’s indexed Pictures library or Skydrive locations. We’re particularly pleased by this improvement, as it means we can stop using Windows Photo Viewer and take advantage of Photos’ more convenient instant full-resolution display. Other updates include some basic cropping and editing tools and the removal of Facebook and Flickr integration.

Other default apps have also been tweaked. The Store has been updated with a permanent floating search bar in the top right, making it much easier to find new Start screen apps. The Xbox Video app also hasn’t seen any overwhelming changes, but everything’s a bit more neatly presented.

The app version of Internet Explorer 11 lets you keep its navigation bar onscreen at all times

The app version of Internet Explorer 11, which is only available if Internet Explorer is set as your default browser, now lets you open as many tabs as you want and no longer restricts you to 10. You can also configure your tabs and address bar to be permanently visible, although this option is hidden in the Charms bar settings. Plus, the browser now supports WebGL, which brings it in line with its rivals. While these improvements to the app version of Internet Explorer will be useful for touchscreen users who want to use the Start screen wherever possible, we’d rather use a desktop browser, and these improvements still don’t threaten Chrome’s position as our favourite browser.

WINDOWS 8.1 REVIEW – CONCLUSION

While Windows 8.1 won’t make everyone happy, it’s fixed most of our original complaints about Windows 8. The apps are slowly improving and the Photos app, in particular, has now become one of the best tools for browsing images in Windows. Many users will be glad to have the Start button back on their desktop, but the change is more cosmetic than functional.

Clearly, Microsoft still has touchscreen users in mind, which is hardly surprising given consumer demand for touchscreen devices. The ability to run two apps side-by-side is a definite plus to anyone who uses the Start screen regularly, and the refined search tool also makes life much easier. We found that working with Windows 8.1 on our touchscreen all-in-one felt much more natural.

Windows 8.1 is an ideal opportunity to upgrade to a secure, up-to-date operating system. Windows 8.1 will cost £75 for most, but is a free upgrade for existing Windows 8 users. You’ll be able to upgrade via the Windows Store, assuming you’re logged in with your Microsoft account. You’ll also need your original product key to complete the process. However, it’s well worth the time it takes to upgrade.