Windows 8.1 Download Imminent: Merging At Miracast

In less than 24 hours, Microsoft will be making Windows 8.1 available for download for all those users out there in the wild that work now with a full version of Windows 8. This release is being tipped as being a bit of a veil for a much larger shake-up to the Microsoft desktop and mobile ecosystem, said to be merging the two into one in a massive undertaking that'll dwarf the many tiny changes to the Windows software family. This isn't just about booting to desktop.

As Windows 8.1 was fully detailed back in May, it's not unlikely that the system boost will be bringing only a select few surprises in and of itself. Microsoft even went so far as to create a simple Windows 8.1 walkthrough which you'll be able to see here:

One of the keys that may tie the mobile and desktop worlds together is Miracast. This standard wireless video technology is coming with Windows 8.1 and may very well be part of a near-global system upgrade to Windows Phone as well.

Can you imagine the impact of allowing every Windows Phone 8 (now 8.1) phone mirror their display to any Windows 8.1 PC? That'd be a feature to be touted on high, that's for certain.

We've seen Google update their mobile operating system Android to Jelly Bean with Miracast built-in, but as the technology hasn't exactly taken a massively firm grasp on the greater world of televisions and set-top boxes, it's not been that big a point. Devices like NVIDIA's SHIELD are coming imminently with built-in Miracast functionality, but only with video and photo streaming (video game streaming in Beta, of course).

If Microsoft can bring Miracast functionality – and implementation, not just a "someday it'll work" sort of aim – the company will have at least one killer feature they can be proud of at BUILD later this week.