Microsoft has announced that Windows 8.1 will be arriving on October 17th well, in the US, anyway, confirming an earlier rumor of a mid-month launch. For some reason, the companys specified an exact release time of 12am on October 18th in New Zealand, which is 4am PT or 7am ET on October 17th. At that time, the free update will begin rolling out across local Windows Stores, and will be available “at retail and on new devices” from the 18th onwards, depending on your region. Check out our hands-on and subsequent coverage for an idea of what to expect from the update.

via Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 launching October 17th.