Windows 8.1 to be Released as Free Upgrade October 17

For Windows 8 users

Windows 8 users should circle October 17 on the calendar. On that day at 7 a.m. ET / 4 a.m. PT Microsoft will release Windows 8.1 as a free upgrade or download through the Windows Store. A day later on October 18, the new version of the operating system will also be available at retail stores and on new devices.

"It's very exciting to be delivering Windows 8.1 to consumers just before Windows 8 celebrates its 1-year anniversary," Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc wrote in a blog post this morning. Microsoft released Windows 8, a radical redesign and vision for Windows, on Oct. 26, 2012.