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chachazz
Premium Member
join:2003-12-14

1 recommendation

chachazz

Premium Member

[Info] Windows 8.1 Product Guide

The Windows 8.1 Product Guide gives you an in-depth tour through the many new and improved features in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1. This guide is available in PDF format. To access this file you will need Adobe Reader, or a compatible PDF reader.

Version: 1.0
Date Published: 2014-02-21
»www.microsoft.com/en-us/ ··· id=40789

plencnerb
Premium Member
join:2000-09-25
53403-1242

plencnerb

Premium Member

Interesting items in the product guide. The 49 page document focuses 100% on the touch / Start Screen (aka Metro) side of things. Right from the start (Page #5) they talk about how useful creating a Microsoft account is, and all the wonderful things that you can do with it. There is no mention at all about the option to create a local account, even though we all know you can still do that.

All of the focus is on the Apps that come either pre-installed, or ones that you can download from the App Store. Each of the apps that are pre-installed are highlighted (Weather, Bing Maps, Travel, and so on) and how you can use them to help you be more productive in your daily life.

There is no mention anywhere of any of the other new features of Windows 8.1, like the changes to the Windows Explorer (ribbon look), changes to the task manager, or any of the under the hood (so to speak) changes that were made.

The one thing that I do want to highlight here is that this is the first place that I have seen officially documented how to do things in the Start Screen without touch. Meaning, what is the mouse equivalent action for a specific touch item.

If you look on Page #18 and #19 of the Product Guide, you can see just that information.

For those that don't want to download and read it themselves, below are images from those two pages.

Page #18




Page #19




Finally, I want to add that out of all the screen pictures shown in the document, only 2 of them are shown in desktop mode. All the rest are from the Start Screen or Apps from the Windows Store. In fact, the Product guide does not even mention "Desktop mode" at all. It is almost like (at least to me) Microsoft is trying to not let people know that side exists in the OS anymore.

--Brian
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20

Premium Member

Thank you. I wonder why the OP didn't bother to warn us? I read the OP's post and was going to download it....until I read your FAR MORE USEFUL post. To heck with Microsoft. I was thinking about upgrading to 8.1 but I really may never do that even if it means losing security patches when 8.0 goes unsupported. If Microsoft's attitude is still f**k desktop users then I might as well stay on 8.0. I'm actually ok with it after installing Start8 and Windowblinds as I never see that godforsaken Metro stuff. Plus, I can't access Metro apps, even if I wanted to, because I disabled UAC. Really childish of Microsoft to pout so greatly about my disabling UAC that they "punish" me (not really since I have no interest in Metro apps but Microsoft apparently thinks everyone does) by not allowing me to access Metro apps with UAC disabled.

I just bought a really nice Dell Ultrasharp monitor. Dell has a lot of touch screen monitors now but I didn't consider those for one second and if I had a laptop I would still avoid touch screen. I've used Apple's Ipad. It is fun for about five minutes and then it is horrible and something I would never want even if I got a small, portable computer. I would still want a mouse...not a touch pad either...a MOUSE and a REAL keyboard. Typing on an Ipad is a joke.

plencnerb
Premium Member
join:2000-09-25
53403-1242

plencnerb

Premium Member

Warn us about what? If you are thinking that there is no "desktop mode" in 8.1 you would be incorrect. Just like in 8.0, desktop mode is alive an well.

What I was trying to point out is that even though it does still exist in 8.1 like it does in 8.0, Microsoft is pushing the metro / app side with 8.1 and not even saying anything about the desktop side. Its like they are trying to "write off" so to speak desktop users.

If you remember, I'm running 8.1, and I spend 99% of my time in desktop mode. I uninstalled all of the apps / live tiles that I could , and unpinned the rest.

--Brian
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20

Premium Member

I know there is a desktop mode in 8.1 and supposedly improvements for desktop users.

As for "warning" us, why not mention in the original post that this download is for those who use Metro a lot and to not bother downloading it if you use Desktop mode only? Microsoft has been saying that they have fixed problems for those do want to use Desktop mode only ....maybe they mean in 8.2 that is coming in April and not 8.1?