If there’s nothing prompting you to upgrade or change now, then I would wait.
8.1 will probably resolve some of the issues that people had with Windows 8, but not all of them. It is still Windows 8 and it's an incremental improvement.
I know Windows 8 has cause a lot of grumbling. But it's fine. It really is.
Let me explain why I feel that way.
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Windows 8 with Classic Shell is Windows 7
I don't know what you've heard about Windows 8, but 90% of the concerns that I hear are unfounded, especially when you take the extra step of installing Classic Shell.
Windows 8 with Classic Shell looks and operates pretty much like Windows 7. I see my Taskbar. I don't have tiles. I can set it for multiple monitors just like when I was running Windows 7.
I normally tell people to upgrade to the version that has a bit of a reasonable track record. These days, that's Windows 8 if your hardware supports it.
When to go with Windows 7
I can only think of one situation when you might want to wait on Windows 8 and that's if hardware is an issue. For instance, if your machine is too old it's possible that Windows 7 may work, but Windows 8 may not.
In that case, Windows 7 is a fine operating system. It's a good alternative and Microsoft will offer support on it for some time.
But in the end, my gut tells me that if you’re comfortable with Windows 7, you could be just as comfortable with Windows 8.
I’ve read several comments elsewhere where people have upgraded an old XP machine with Windows 8 when Windows 7 wouldn’t run. They say Windows 8 breathed new life into their machines.
Just to be on the safe side, Windows 8 (and probably 8.1) will do a compatibility check before you buy it. Your reader should check that first.
From what your reader said the computer is used for, I would recommend waiting for Windows 8.1. It has the option to boot directly to the Desktop, which is very similar to Windows 7 and XP. Also, Windows 8.1 will come with an instruction video to help users learn how to use the new interface.