yep. shipping a product that immediately needs a HUGE OS upgrade was a pretty stinky move on MS part..
I'm not really standing up for Microsoft but let's get our P's and Q's a little better understood.
Windows 8 has been out over a year.
Windows 8.1 is an optional update.
Microsoft is not in the computer manufacturing business.
The various computer manufacturers over produced for the market that purchased computers with windows 8 primarily
because people were still satisfied with windows 7 and because of the bad rap given W-8 just because it was a bit different.
The computer retailers could have pulled all the left over inventory of W-8 units, sent them back to the OEM and had installed W 8.1, repackaged them in new boxes with new instructions but at what cost addition to the units when they went back on the market compared to a purchaser downloading
and installing W 8.1 free as an option if they elected to do so.
What product would have been left on the shelves for quick order from online retailers or brick and mortar stores.
Operating systems are never up to date since there is always a time lag between manufacture and setting up the equipment for use by the purchaser.
I really didn't enjoy going through the updating either, primarily because of my hughesnet daily allotment, but that is not Microsoft's fault.
I could have waited until a later time to purchase a new pc with 8.1 already installed but in my case I had my head in the sand, or somewhere else, and wasn't aware of the 8.1 being scheduled for release just a week after my purchase. Also not Microsoft's fault.
As far as WMP not playing MPEG, if you are talking about MP4 downloaded from you tube as a flash, that is not quite the case either.
Most of the flash MP4 files are actually a DASH format which is in 2 pieces. The downloader/converter must put these files together as a MP4. Some do some don't.
My wife has been using the W8.1 system since I installed it, really likes it, and finds it easy to use.
