Last week at the Build 2014 conference, the Windows product team announced that Windows 8.1 Update will be generally available via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center beginning April 8th as KB2919355. Some of the most notable enhancements provided by Windows 8.1 Update include:
Windows 8.1 Update – Start screen
In addition to these enhancements, Windows 8.1 Update includes two new security updates (KB2922229 and KB2936068). These security updates will also be available separately for organizations that are not yet ready to deploy the full Windows 8.1 Update.
Note: KB2919355 also applies to Windows Server 2012 R2. When installed on Windows Server 2012 R2, the new Enterprise Mode for IE11, updated Start screen UI with Search and Power buttons, and Desktop Experience role for Remote Desktop Services deployments are all updated to align with the Windows 8.1 Update experience on client devices. You can find more details on this update for Windows Server 2012 R2 located at the following link location:
In this article, I’ll provide a list of resources that you can leverage to quickly learn, deploy and educate your users on the new features in Windows 8.1 Update.
Watch Joe Belfiore demonstrate the new features in Windows 8.1 Update in this 10-minute demo walkthrough during his Build 2014 keynote session.
Joe Belfiore demonstrating Windows 8.1 Update at Build 2014
Note that the Windows 8.1 Update demo starts at the 54:53 minute mark in his keynote. Be sure to tune in for the earlier portions of his keynote to hear What's new in Windows Phone 8.1, too!
Leverage these resources to learn the new features in Windows 8.1 Update.
Use these resources for deploying Windows 8.1 Update in your organization.
Customize and share these resources with your users to help them understand how to use the new features in Windows 8.1 Update.
Install Windows 8.1 Update on your devices via Windows Update and experience these new features for yourself! Once you’ve done this, feel free to share your thoughts, feedback and experiences with using Windows 8.1 Update in the Comments area below.
Check out our complete blog series at:
Be sure to check out these additional resources:
Keith Mayer is a Senior Technical Evangelist at Microsoft, focused on helping ISV partners leverage the Azure cloud platform. Keith has over 20 years of experience as a technical leader of complex IT projects, in diverse roles, such as Network Engineer, IT Manager, Technical Instructor and Consultant. He has consulted and trained thousands of customers and partners worldwide on design of enterprise technology solutions.
Keith is currently certified on several Microsoft technologies, including Private Cloud, System Center, Hyper-V, Windows, Windows Server, SharePoint and Exchange. He also holds other industry certifications from VMware, IBM, Cisco, Citrix, HP, CheckPoint, CompTIA and Interwoven.
You can contact Keith online at http://aka.ms/AskKeith.