Windows 8.1 is very likely to bring back this traditional Windows feature

Apr 19, 2013 07:31 GMT  ·  By

Rumor has it that Microsoft is pondering the relaunch of the Start button in the next Windows iteration, so the utterly popular Windows feature should be back this summer when Windows 8.1 comes out.

While Microsoft hasn’t said a thing about a decision to provide Windows 8.1 adopters with such a feature, Peter Klein, the company’s chief financial officer that will leave on June 1, made some comments during yesterday’s earnings conference call that might signal the return of the Start button.

Klein explained that Microsoft is already working on the next version of Windows, while also adding that the company is planning to be “responsive to customer feedback” with this upgrade.

Since no specifics have been provided, this could very well be a hint that Microsoft is working on a new Start button, even though the company has aggressively promoted the Start Screen since the debut of Windows 8.

Just like Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet writes, the Start button could come together with an option to bypass the Start Screen and boot directly to desktop, but such settings could actually affect the growing popularity of the new Metro UI.

Believe it or not, many Windows 8 adopters have already embraced the Start Screen and the Metro UI, even though the confusion created by the lack of a Start button is still affecting sales of Microsoft’s new OS.

At this point, Windows 8 has a market share of more than 3 percent, with analysts expecting the OS to boost sales in the next few months, especially thanks to the debut of Windows 8.1.

In addition, Klein revealed during the conference call that Microsoft is already working with partners across the world to develop smaller Windows 8 devices, hinting that rumors regarding a potential Surface Mini tablet may indeed be true.