Microsoft has provided the "first look" at Windows 8.1, on the company's Windows blog.
Following news of a Windows refresh, corporate vice president of Windows Program Management Antoine Leblond stressed that Windows 8.1 is an update to Windows 8, not a replacement.
"Before we launched Windows 7, we envisioned what the next version of Windows would need to deliver," he wrote.
"We made a bet that the PC landscape and industry would undergo a significant transformation driven by an increase in mobility.
"That bet underscores the changes we made with Windows 8 – it’s a generational leap forward.
"We built Windows 8 for a world where touch is a first class interaction model, the same as mouse and keyboard; and where there’s a proliferation of innovative and diverse devices that are highly mobile, always on the go and always connected.
"Windows 8 was built on the reality that the lines between our work and personal lives have blurred."
Claiming that the response to Windows 8 has been "substantial", Leblond says Microsoft has responded to customer comment through Windows 8.1.
"We’ve learned from customers on how they are using the product and have received a lot of feedback," he wrote.
"We’ve delivered hundreds of updates to the product and to apps.
"We’re just getting started, and the potential ahead is tremendous."
Offering a high-level look at the improvements and enhancements in Windows 8.1 through Microsoft's official blog, Leblond explained key areas such as personalisation, search, built-in apps, the Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity.
"It’s Windows 8 even better," he wrote.
"Windows 8.1 will advance the bold vision set forward with Windows 8 to deliver the next generation of PCs, tablets, and a range of industry devices, and the experiences customers — both consumers and businesses alike — need and will just expect moving forward.
"Not only will Windows 8.1 respond to customer feedback, but it will add new features and functionality that advance the touch experience and mobile computing’s potential.
"Windows 8.1 will deliver improvements and enhancements in key areas like personalisation, search, the built-in apps, Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity."
Available later this year as a free update to Windows 8 through the Windows Store, Microsoft's operating system has come in for strong criticism from the industry since launching late last year.
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