The desktop you’re used to—with its familiar folders and icons—is still here. And not just still here, it’s actually better than before, with a new task manager and streamlined file management. And you can always get to your desktop—and back to your Start screen again—with a tap or click. These are the new features of Windows 8.1:

What’s new features with Windows 8.1

• It Plays as Hard as it Works
  • Windows 8.1 gives you the power to quickly browse, watch movies, play games, polish your resume, and pull together a killer presentation — all on a single PC. Now you can organize up to three apps on your screen at once in a single view.
• The Start Screen
  • Personalize your Start screen with your favorite news, friends, social networks, and apps. Customizable colors and backgrounds and four different sizes of tiles make your device as unique as you are.
• The Apps you Want
  • In addition to great built-in apps for email, people, photos and video editing – you can also download thousands of popular apps from the Windows Store, including Netflix, ESPN, Skype and Halo: Spartan Assault.
• Security
  • Stay up to date and more secure with Windows Defender, Windows Firewall, and Windows Update.
• Speed
  • Windows 8.1 starts up faster, switches between apps faster, and uses power more efficiently than previous versions of Windows, including Windows 7.
• Your Familiar Desktop
  • From the Start screen, you are just a click away from the familiar Windows desktop you know so you can do the stuff you’ve always done.
• Multitasking Made Easy
  • It’s easy to do more at once. Snap multiple apps side by side in a single view for easy multitasking.
• Mouse, Keyboard—and now Touch
  • Windows 8.1 works harmoniously with various types of devices, including touch, mouse-and-keyboard, or both. Whatever kind of device you have, you’ll discover fast and fluid ways to switch between apps, move things around, and go smoothly from one place to another.
• Your files, Everywhere
  • Stay connected to your photos and important files and access them on your phone, tablet or PC with SkyDrive. By signing in with your Microsoft account to any of your PCs running Windows 8.1 and you’ll immediately see your own background, display preferences, and settings.
• You Keep all your Files
  • If your PC is running Windows 7, your files, apps and settings will easily transfer to Windows 8.1.
• You Keep Familiar Programs
  • Programs that run on Windows 7 will run on Windows 8.1.
• Your Office. Your Way.
  • Experience Office at its best on Windows 8 devices. Discover new and better ways to create, edit, and browse—using a keyboard, pen, or touchscreen. Don’t forget: Office is not part of Windows 8.

System requirements:

• 1 GHz processor or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
• 2 GB RAM
• 20 GB available hard disk space
• 1366 x 768 screen resolution
• DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM driver
• To use touch, you need a PC that supports multitouch
• Internet access (fees may apply)
• Microsoft account required for some features
• Watching DVDs requires separate playback software
• Windows Media Center license sold separately

Read more at: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/features#personalize=startscreen