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Windows 8.1 Update 1 deadline for patch downloads extended by 30 days

windows 8 1 update deadline patch downloads extended 30 days
Image used with permission by copyright holder

By now, Windows 8.1 users were expected to be deprived of security updates from Microsoft unless they downloaded and installed Windows 8.1 Update 1, which was revealed last month at the company’s BUILD conference, and released on April 8. However, Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc announced via this official blog post that the deadline to upgrade in order to continue receiving patches has been extended by an additional 30 days, concluding on June 10.

“As noted previously, consumer customers who do not update their Windows 8.1 devices to the Windows 8.1 Update by this new deadline will no longer receive updates,” LeBlanc said. “We’re confident that within the next month, the majority of the remaining customers who haven’t updated their devices to the Windows 8.1 Update will be able to do so.”

In the post, LeBlanc seems to imply that the main reason why every Windows 8.1 user hasn’t upgraded to Windows 8.1 Update 1 is due to the fact that some people haven’t configured Windows Update with Automatic Update enabled. Considering that Update 1 is minor in size and scope, and isn’t a full product release, a significant amount of people may not even be aware of its existence.

After all, according to Net Marketshare, Windows 8’s usage stood higher than Windows 8.1’s as of last month. Windows 8 occupies 6.36 percent of the market, while Windows 8.1 snags 5.88 percent of the pie. When you consider that Windows 8.1 was released back in October and, like Update 1, is a free update for Windows 8 users, it’s not surprising that some people haven’t made the jump to Windows 8.1 Update 1 just yet.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.

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Konrad Krawczyk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…
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