Windows Blue to be previewed on 26 June

The tweaked version of Microsoft's operating system nicknamed Windows Blue would be previewed on 26 June and would be a free update for users as Windows 8.1, AFP reports.

The update comes following a lacklustre reception for Windows 8, an operating system released last year to help the software giant transition from personal computers to tablets and other mobile devices.

Microsoft said in a blog post that the move was part of a goal "of delivering continual updates to create a richer experience for Windows customers."

According to Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc, a public preview of Windows 8.1 would be available starting on 26 June, timed with the Microsoft developer conference in San Francisco.

According to Microsoft, it had sold over 100 million licenses for Windows 8.

According to some analysts, Microsoft was forced to act due to slow adoption of Windows 8, which made some radical changes to the design of the desktop.

Microsoft's Windows 8 was aimed at creating a system that could be used on mobile touch screen devices as also serving the users of traditional PCs.

The software giant launched Windows 8 last October, in a revamp of its flagship system as it aimed to make inroads in the fast-growing mobile segment and also launched its Surface tablet computer.

Meanwhile, readwrite.com reported quoting Tami Reller, the CMO and CFO of Microsoft's Windows Division, Microsoft's much-anticipated updated to Windows 8 would be free, and would be out "later this year."

Though she did not commit to a launch date, she promised a public preview edition when Microsoft's Build 2013 developers conference opened on 26 June.

Windows 8.1 would work with both Windows 8 and Windows RT, the version of the operating system that ran on ARM processors.