Here are the cosmetic changes on Windows 8.1:
- Start Button is back on the desktop mode. Now users can click or tap tiles to open programs. Pressing the start button continuously will launch the Control Panel.
- Users can now boot directly to desktop mode.
- The onscreen keyboard now includes the ability to type punctuation marks or numbers by swiping up or away from certain keys on the standard QWERTY keyboard layout.
- Users can now use gesture enabled app to get response. You can wave your hands in front of a web camera to get a response or to flip a page on a hands free mode of an ebook.
- Users can now to quickly organize tiles. You can tap and hold Windows tiles with your finger to move them. Another couple taps will allow you to resize them in one of four sizes.
- Finding all your apps takes just a swipe up on your start screen, as long as you don't do it from beyond the bottom edge.
- Now app updates will run on the background. It will no longer reminding users to go to the Windows Store.
- Home screen will now fit on the portrait mode on smaller tablet.
- Users can now answer Skype or take photos from a locked screen without having to login.
- In Windows 8.1, users can now run up to 4 apps at once side by side.
- Multiple search result can now be accessed while typing on the tile-based start screen.
- Hotmail or Outlook.com users now have the capability to have folders on the left hand side for updates from social network sites like Facebook, messages from favorite contacts and newsletters.
- Users is no longer limited to 10 open tabs in tile version of Internet Explorer.
