Windows 8.1 update price is £75, out next month
The update will be pre-installed on any PCs that are bought from 18 October.
Microsoft has confirmed prices for the next generation of Windows. Windows 8.1 is set to cost £75 for the latest update, or £125 for the professional version.
As predicted, the update will land on computers around the world from noon on 17 October, Ballmer and pals have confirmed. If you buy a new computer from 18 October, you'll find the new software comes pre-installed.
Windows 8.1, which was dubbed 'Windows Blue' in the run-up to its official unveiling, aims to fix a lot of the things that customers don't like about Windows 8.
The Start menu makes a welcome return to the bottom-left of the desktop, though while it brings options and shortcuts, it's not quite the same virtual button that the world knows and loves.
You can also boot straight to the Windows desktop, bypassing the tile-centric Windows 8 Start screen when you start your computer. Neato. For more features that will arrive in Windows 8.1, check out this handy-dandy photo gallery.
With early Windows 8 sales reportedly 'well below' Microsoft's expectations and price cuts for the Surface RT tablet, it seems that the House of Clippy really needs to turn things around. Here's hoping Windows 8.1 transforms the new operating system into a more appealing option.
"Windows 8 is a good product, and it's getting better every day", Microsoft's own Frank X. Shaw said recently.
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