Microsoft Confirms It’s Working On Books, And Other Key Bits From Its Windows 8.1 Reddit AMA

Windows 8.1 day rolls along, and, while I assume that you have already updated if you were a Windows 8 user, Microsoft is continuing to speak out about its new software. The company has again taken to Reddit to answer questions from its community.

The full discussion is here, but since you are busy, below are the best pieces from the session. Answers are verbatim, questions are edited as needed from the original thread.

Q: Does Microsoft plan on building the Windows equivalent of NewsStand or iBooks for Windows? It would be nice to not rely on Kindle and others, and instead be able to purchase books with my Microsoft account.

Microsoft: Definitely on the radar and something we’re working on! [Source]

Q: Can we expect Windows 8.2 next October? Will Microsoft release yearly updates?

Microsoft: Hi there, our goal is to continue to deliver updates on a regular basis to respond to customer feedback and improve and enrich the Windows experience. [Source]

Q: What about users of the Enterprise build of Windows 8? Where is our new code?

Microsoft: Good news – Enterprise will be available today for SA customers. An eval edition will go up on TechNet today as well. [Source]

Q: Why did you guys take out Flickr and Facebook integration in Photos application in Windows 8.1?

Microsoft: In Windows 8, we needed to provide a way for folks to view their photos on other services knowing there would be few (if any) apps in the store at launch that would do so. Now there are many apps in the store that offer ways to view photos on other services and just released today is the Facebook app from Facebook. The Facebook app offers great ways to view and engage socially with photos on Facebook. We welcome Flickr to do the same. In addition, the People app still offers the ability to socially engage with your friends and even your own photos. [Source]

Q: Tell us something about Windows 8.1 we don’t know.

Microsoft: The work never stops – we’ve been working on 8.1 since right after we shipped 8 last year – we’ve been making improvements right up until recently. [Source]

Windows 8.1 is out, and from the smoke signals I am currently monitoring, it’s doing well in its first day of general availability in terms of activity and use. We’ll have market share data soon enough, but for now, it appears that Microsoft is having at least a passable launch day for its new code.

Top Image Credit: Vernon Chan