Windows to get remake for those who don't touch
Windows 8 start screen.(Photo: Microsoft)
Story Highlights
- Windows 8.1 will get a tweaking to make it work better for those who don't use touch screens
- The operating system launched in 2012 was optimized for tablets and phones using touch inputs
- The new tweak, to come this spring, fixes areas where non-touch users have been frustrated
SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft is tweaking the latest version of Windows to make it work better for users who haven't jumped on the touch bandwagon.
The company introduced the Windows 8 operating system in 2012. It was optimized to allow users on tablets and phones to input commands by touching their screens.
However the changes weren't always helpful to users on computers, where touch wasn't an option. The gesture commands didn't translate well for traditional mouse and keyboards.
"We are making improvements to the user interface that will naturally bridge touch and desktop, especially for our mouse and keyboard users," Microsoft vice president Joe Belfiore posted to his blog[1] on Sunday.
He added, "Don't worry, we still LOVE and BELIEVE IN touch… but you'll like how much more smooth and convenient these changes make mouse and keyboard use!"
The new update to Windows 8.1 will come this spring, Belfiore said Sunday at the Mobile World Congress being held in Barcelona, Spain.
Search, power and settings buttons will be added to the Windows Start page, so that users don't have to figure out how to pull those functions like a sock drawer from the right. There also will be easier, touch-free ways to close apps.
Belfiore said 40% of devices using Windows 8 sold in the United States are touch enabled.
Contributing: Associated Press