Windows 8.1 will be released to manufacturers next month

Devices based on the OS update should be available in time for Christmas

Windows 8.1 will be made available for RTM - release to manufacturing - during late August.

The announcement was made by Windows chief marketing officer Tami Reller during a keynote at Microsoft's annual Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Houston, Texas. It means Windows 8.1 devices - including desktops, laptops and tablets - should be available to purchase ahead of Christmas.

Windows 8.1 is Microsoft's attempt to address criticism of the touchscreen and tablet-focused Windows 8 operating system, which has alienated many PC users. Complaints have ranged from the failure to add a traditional Start menu to the operating system - making it difficult for those without a touchscreen to access applications - to Windows 8 generally being a confusing interface for those used to Windows 7 and other previous incarnations of the OS.

New features in Windows 8.1 include a search function that allows users to locate files on the device, in the cloud or among applications, and the ability for users to boot straight to the desktop if desired, allowing them to bypass the touchscreen-focused UI, which wasn't possible with Windows 8.

Reller also used her keynote to announce the User Experience Design Competency initiative, which will enable Microsoft partners to provide training for Microsoft Design Language. It essentially appears to be an effort to encourage more developers and designers to create applications for the Windows store.

Speaking at last month's Build 2013 conference in San Francisco, operating system principal program manager lead Chaitanya Sareen told Computing enterprise users will see a "marked difference" with Windows 8.1.

"I know we have thought quite a lot about how we can give enterprise users more administration and control, and the most popular questions in that area come from the Start screen," he said.

"That was the number one ask, and it was a careful balance of asking for the world, but we worked very closely with people out in the field to prioritise what were the important ones. You'll see a marked difference," Sareen added.