Taskbar and more mouse usage
Update: Good news, Windows 8.1 adopters; you now have until June 10 to install Update 1 before penalties are levied.
"Penalties" may be a bit harsh. What you're really in for after June 10 if you don't upgrade to Windows 8.1 Update 1 is no more security updates, leaving you vulnerable.
Business users have an even longer deadline of August 12 to install Update 1. The extension applies to companies managing their systems using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Windows Intune or System Center Configuration Manager.
Review continues below...
Microsoft bet on touch with Windows 8, and while the company claims customer satisfaction with touch devices running the OS is higher than folks using non-touch Windows 7 computers, there's a large and vocal sector of the PC population still miffed at the radical change of focus.
With Windows 8.1 Update 1, Microsoft is holding hat in hand, hoping to make amends with that alienated group. Windows 8.1 update 1 is now out and available for download, including via Automatic Update.
Who are these forgotten folk, you ask? Why, none other than mouse and keyboard aficionados, of course.
As one Microsoft rep told me at Build 2014, 8.1 Update 1 is essentially a set of refinements for mouse and keyboard users, providing more context and efficiency for the traditional click and cursor crew.
I tested this assertion for myself, and found that although Update 1 isn't brimming with massive alterations, it's a good start at winning back those who prefer a mouse and keyboard.
Tablet users won't notice much of a difference, but there are improvements to be had for them, too.
Taking Update 1 to task
The biggest addition to Update 1 is the taskbar that can be accessed from any screen. It isn't permanently painted along the lower part of your display; instead it jumps to attention when you move your mouse within the bar's bottom edge-dwelling zone.
In the taskbar, users can pin both desktop and Windows Store apps, letting them move directly to an app from the desktop or within any application. The taskbar carries over, so if you switch from the Start screen to the desktop to IE11 to the Windows Store, your pinned apps follow along.
The taskbar isn't obtrusive and should save users, particularly those maneuvering with a mouse, tons of time.
Users can right click to pin or unpin applications to the taskbar, a very mousey function and something that won't be foreign to Windows 7 users. It seems like an innumerable amount of apps can live on the taskbar, or at least the ones you have running at any given time.
By default, the Windows Store is pinned to the taskbar, with the idea being that its omnipresence will help mouse users access the Store faster to find the applications they want. It may take some time to remember the Store is actually accessible this way, namely because the taskbar isn't a constant fixture on the screen.
And like everything else, the Store is unpinnable, so it doesn't have to straddle the bar if you don't want it to.
Mighty mouse
The right-click mouse action doesn't stop at the taskbar.
With Update 1, when users right click a Start screen app, the drop-down context menu appears, and a little check mark will tick in the app Tile's upper right-hand corner. The context menu lets users unpin an app from the Start screen, resize it, uninstall and more.
The menu existed before, but only in a touch version. Now, mouse users can tag and select without having to lift their hand to the screen.
Hitting Alt and right clicking lets users select as many Tiles as they want for rearranging and resizing.
While right clicking felt a lot more natural than touching the screen, I found it all a little clumsy depending on what device I was using. What worked relatively smoothly on an Acer didn't on a Dell. I only tested track pads as no mice were available, so depending on the quality of the hardware, you may be in for a rough ride.
I realize this isn't so much the software's fault as it is a hardware issue, but it means folks using Update 1 on different machines may have vastly different experiences.
Speaking of hardware, Microsoft has lowered the necessary mass storage requirement from 2GB of RAM and 32GB with Windows 8.1 to 1GB RAM and 16GB with Update 1. This means more low-cost devices - and greater variance with the Windows experience.
Boot to desktop, subtle changes and early verdict
Kick in the boot
The last major change Microsoft made in Update 1 is a less rigid approach to boot to desktop, affording more choice to all parties involved.
Manufacturers can now pre-set boot to desktop if they feel it's best for their device. If they don't choose the option, Windows 8.1 Update 1 will turn to a set of default rules based on the device you're using to decide whether to boot to desktop from the start.
No matter what manufacturers or the machine decide, users can always turn boot to desktop on or off.
In a move likely pleasing to mouse users, Microsoft has made it so you can choose boot to desktop from the desktop mode, meaning there's no need to flip over to the Start screen.
Subtle changes
Two small additions immediately noticeable with Update 1 are a power button and search charm in the upper right-hand corner. Tablet users won't see the power button when they install Update 1, but the idea is to make both (but especially search) more accessible to PC users who weren't accustomed to swiping out the right-hand-side charm menu.
Another small yet nifty add-on is a title bar that appears along the top of Windows Store applications. The title bar hides itself after a few seconds, but moving your mouse in its vicinity reveals it again. The title bar lets users close or minimize the application as well.
Another tiny tinker is found when you install new apps. With Update 1, a message appears next to the Apps arrow on the bottom of the Start screen. This way you can see exactly how many new additions were added to your collection.
Finally, a Microsoft rep told me that OEMs now have the option to open photos, music and video files in the Windows Photo Viewer and Windows Media Player, both desktop apps, and not their Metro counterparts.
Early verdict
The changes found in Update 1 should make using Windows 8.1 more intuitive for mouse and keyboard users. Even for those used to the Windows 8's touchiness, the added functionality isn't going to be something they hate.
I wasn't in the midst of an hours-long use case, but I felt I could be more productive simply because I could keep my fingers on the keyboard and right click the track pad when I had to. It all felt smooth and natural, without wasted motions and needless Start screen wandering.
The taskbar should be a true time and headache saver, and those familiar with Windows 7 should have no problem picking it up. However, I wish Microsoft provided the option to keep it visible on the screen instead of hiding it. If it's all about user choice, maybe I want my pinned apps to stay where I can see them?
We'll have to wait until Windows 8.2 and Windows 9 for any radical OS changes, but Windows 8.1 Update 1 does an admirable job of addressing some of the nagging issues for the many users who've grinned - OK, grimaced - and bore them.
- Here's how to fix 15 Windows 8.1 annoyances
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