The public preview version of Windows 8.1 is scheduled to be released by Microsoft on Wednesday, but businesses who are already testing Windows 8 should consider going ahead and moving to Windows 8.1 on new PCs, according to a recent research note from Gartner.
The note, posted last week, was optimistic that Windows 8.1 would be accepted more by enterprise users than Microsoft"s Windows 8 was in 2012. The note states:
Some users complained about the lack of discoverability, help or cues for the new user experience, and many rejected Windows 8 because of the changes. Based on the information currently available, we believe Windows 8.1 features could quiet most of its detractors.
In fact, some businesses that still use Internet Explorer 8 on Windows 7 might have more compatibility issues upgrading to IE11 than moving legacy Windows programs to run on the desktop of Windows 8.1, according to Gartner. The firm recommends that companies which are already testing Windows 8 on new PCs strongly consider testing on the Windows 8.1 public preview.
Gartner also recommends that businesses who have thought about using Windows 8 just for touchscreen devices to consider using Windows 8.1 for larger deployment.
Source: Gartner | Image via Microsoft