
Microsoft is preparing to
revive the traditional Start button it killed with
Windows 8. Sources
familiar with
Microsoft's plans have revealed to
The Verge that
Windows 8.1 will include the return of the Start button. We understand
that the button will act as a method to simply access the
Start Screen,
and will not include the traditional Start Menu. The button is said to
look near-identical to the existing
Windows flag used in the Charm bar.
Microsoft changes its mind
Microsoft's change of heart follows another recent planned change for Windows 8.1: a boot to desktop option.
We understand Microsoft will add an option to allow users to boot
directly to the traditional
desktop environment in future builds of the
upcoming Windows 8 upgrade. Most internal builds of Windows 8.1 do not
include the Start button or boot to desktop options, but Microsoft is
said to be planning how to add these into the operating system.
ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley previously reported on Microsoft's plans to bring back the Start button and a boot to desktop option.
The death of the traditional
Start button in Windows 8 was one of a number of controversial changes
introduced with Microsoft's latest operating system. In our review of Windows 8 we called the new navigation changes "a steep learning curve," and feedback on the Start button removal has been mixed. 1.5 million downloads of Pokki, a Start Menu replacement, and other similar tools suggest that Windows 8 users still want the Start button and Start Menu. Microsoft explained away its removal
using data it gathered from the company's Customer Experience
Improvement Program, but we understand the return in Windows 8.1 is due
to customer feedback. We may see the Start button return in the upcoming
Windows 8.1 Public Preview, if not expect to see it in the final version due later this year.
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