The Modern interface has been dramatically updated, and it no longer feels quite as half-baked.
Microsoft would have seen much less criticism if it did.
Improved Snap
In Windows 8, theSnap featurewas a toy.
Windows 8.1 makes the snap feature much more flexible.
Every snapped app has a width of 500 pixels.
Sure, that isn’t particularly impressive when you compare it to what you might do on the desktop.
This sounds like a basic feature – and it is – but it was conspicuously absent from Windows 8.
The Windows Store is no longer a static list of categories.
The Windows Store also automatically updates apps, just like it should have from day one.
The PC tweaks app was half-baked and didn’t incorporate all the options it should have.
With Windows 8.1, the PC parameters app is much more comprehensive and contains many more parameters panes.
The Start screen also has more options, and it can nowshare your desktop wallpaper.
This will mostly be appreciated by desktop users, however.
More Included Apps
Windows 8.1 offers more included Modern apps.
More Available Modern Apps
The Windows Store now has over 100,000 Modern apps available.
Like in all app stores, they’re mostly terrible apps that you wouldn’t want to use.
However, Microsoft is still working hard to increase the app count.
Microsoftstill has a long way to go, however.
Many popular apps are still not available – not to mention the less-popular, niche apps people depend on.
One huge pain point is still Google’s services.
The Modern interface isn’t perfect yet.
In particular, Microsoft hasn’t released Modern versions of Microsoft Office apps – except for OneNote.
The interface still only allows you to install Microsoft-approved apps, sothere’s no sideloading for average users.
Remember when Apple blocked Google Voice from the iPhone for a year?
Or how Apple still refuses to approvegames that deal with serious issues?
We could be seeing similar controversies coming to Windows 8 soon, if it takes off.
