

It is the last release of Windows to have support for Windows Media Center as Microsoft discontinued support for the application with the release of Windows 10. Despite being out of support, the operating system is still used on 0.84% of computers worldwide as of March 2023. Windows 8 users were given the option to upgrade to Windows 8.1 in order to receive support within 2 years since its release. Mainstream support ended on 9 January 2018, while extended support ended on 10 January 2023. Although the operating system was marketed by Microsoft as an update for Windows 8, Microsoft's traditional support policy treats Windows 8.1 similarly to a service pack. It replaces Windows 8 and was succeeded by Windows 10 on 29 July 2015. It is a free upgrade for all Windows 8 users. Windows 8.1 is an operating system by Microsoft.
