The final stable build of Windows 8.1 is set to go live in just a few months, with various sources conjuring up random dates. But according to Tami Reller, the CFO of the Windows division, Microsoft has the important holiday season squarely in mind.
She was speaking recently at the JP Morgan Conference.
According to Tami, the company wants to make sure that users would be allowed to choose from a variety of products running the operating system — and that means releasing the anticipated new OS at the right time. As she explained:
“We’ve said later this year. Obviously, we’re very sensitive to the timing of holidays, and what that means for getting an update out, and making sure that there will be a lineup of hardware that comes preloaded with Windows 8.1.
But even for the hardware at holiday that has Windows 8, we designed it so that’s not an issue at all for customers. They can buy any Windows 8 device with confidence and know that they can get Windows 8.1. So we understand when the holidays are. Let me just underscore that.”
We will have more idea at how the final version is shaping up when the company officially releases the preview version of Windows 8.1 next month at the BUILD developer conference.
