Trying out Windows 8.1 on my Surface RT

I am installing the latest version of Windows 8, 8.1 preview (aka Blue) on my Surface RT. Given the twitchy nature of Surface Pro and corporate apps, I think waiting for the RTM bits is prudent for the work machine.

The update required all of the available firmware and drivers for RT to be applied. I was unboxing a new 64gb RT just for this upgrade so the process took several hours.

The actual 8.1 preview bits only took about 90 minutes for the installation of the 2.1GB update to complete, as well as the PATCHES. There were already 5 updates after installation... then off to the races.

So far, MSPaint is crashing (like when I was editing the screen grab above), so don't hurry to install if this is your only tablet! At least not yet..

Internet Explorer 11 is scoring some points with me - suspected it was faster and speed-battle.com appears to confirm it:

Little things like spell check and windows repositioning jump out as major improvements.

So far, Office still seems slow, and I will be putting Outlook RT through its paces to see how it holds up but so far so good - 8.1 has some needed tweaks that you won't appreciate until you start using it.