With Windows 8.1, a free update designed to address some of its users’ concerns and enable a faster pace of Windows releases, Microsoft tries to bridge the gap between old and new, between mouse and touchscreen. Millions of people installed Windows 8, but Microsoft’s two worlds, each with different applications, created a steep learning curve with Windows 8 that wasn’t familiar for traditional Windows users. But most people still use laptops and desktops, so Microsoft hedged its bets and built a desktop mode as well. Touch is everything, it said, and nearly everything about Windows 8 was designed to be used in a world without laptops and desktop PCs. A year ago, Microsoft 'reimagined' the look and feel of Windows, and placed a risky bet on the future of computing.
