There will be no ISO downloads of Windows 8.1 for the public.

Here is a workaround:

• Head over to http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only
• Scroll down and click Install Windows 8 (This will trigger the installer assistant).
• Enter your Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro or Windows 8 Upgrade product key, confirm that you will be downloading the bits for the version you paid for.

• As soon as it starts downloading, close the installer assistant from the (X) in the top-right corner.
• Go back to the Microsoft Windows upgrade page, click Install Windows 8.1, and download the newer installer assistant.
• Run the newer install assistant.

• When the download is complete, you can choose to install the OS right-then, or you can choose the option: Install by creating media. This option will allow you to create a USB/DVD media.

• Select USB drive if you want to install the installation files to a USB stick or select the ISO option if you want to obtain the ISO.

My wife and I have a desktop machine each, a laptop between us, and recently a tablet, all happily running Windows 8. The tablet is 32 bit and the rest 64 bit versions. I would love to move to 8.1 but, with ~3GB download from the Windows Store each and with an 8GB download per month plan most of which we use each month, we simply won't be doing the upgrades.

Microsoft simply has to realise that there are a lot of loyal and enthusiastic Windows 8 users who don't have an unlimited broadband connection.

Release an ISO or alienate a lot of users, not just small business but home users as well. What about people with a couple of teenagers? You could easily have 6 machines per broadband connection.

Whatever mind-dead executive that thought out this policy needs to find another career.

This is a shame.  I have heard many problems with upgrades, and personally experienced some of them myself.  I prefer clean installs any day, which I have done before as well.

I know, its unfortunate, but hopefully Microsoft will change on this one and very soon too, its definitely wasting bandwidth.

Microsoft has made it known there will be no .ISO file for Windows 8.1 available to the general public.

"Consumers" here really means any copies of Windows 8 that weren't purchased through Microsoft's Volume Licensing programs. So a small business with 20 PCs to upgrade, for example, will have to do them one at a time via the Windows Store – so that's 20 separate 3.5GB downloads.

The Windows Store is the only way for consumers (non-enterprise, non-IT Pro) to download and install Windows 8.1. No ISOs will be made available, so each device needs to be updated individually via the Windows Store.

:( Very disappointing.  What about those of us who do not have unlimited downloads plans, however we have several pcs to upgrade to 8.1?  Perhaps we should all send our excess download bills to MS. Shame on you Microsoft :((