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Windows 8.1 is so close to RTM now we can almost taste it. However that hasn’t stopped those who have access to pre-RTM builds of the operating system unveiling photos of unreleased builds. Our first shot of Windows 8.1 since the Windows 8.1 Preview reveals not much, just a brand new build string for us to glare at.
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9456.fbl_partner_out27.130703-2335 is the buildstring shown off in the screenshot. The build was compiled on the 3rd July 2013, a little over a month ago. Also notice how late the build was compiled, 11:35PM is pretty late for a Windows developer don’t you think? So this is a rather old build. Still, it’s something for us to ponder about until Microsoft officially announce the Windows 8.1 RTM.
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Since this build is so old, we can assume that the build in question isn’t RTM escrow, meaning this isn’t a feature-complete build. It was only recently that we heard anything about RTM escrow being in progress. We recently learned about build 9477 which was handed over to partners earlier today. It’s said that 9477 is part of RTM escrow, meaning it’s a feature-complete build.
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Of course, take the screenshot above with a grain of salt as it could be false. It’s also unlikely for this build to leak, as we are so close to RTM now anyway.
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