14 DAY TRIAL // Recent reports that reached the web in the last couple of days have indicated that Microsoft might bring back the familiar Start Menu in Windows Threshold, a future version of Windows scheduled to be released in early 2015.
While that’s clearly good news for those who had a very hard time getting used to Windows 8 and its new look, it’s also a sign that Microsoft is indeed trying to listen to users, even though it indirectly admitted that it was not a consumer-shaped business.
In the last year, however, Microsoft has made several decisions showing that user feedback is much more important these days, mostly because the company had no other choice than to implement options requested by its customers.
It all begun with the Start button, which was reintroduced in Windows 8.1, along with some new options that allow users to boot directly to desktop and skip the Start screen.
Basically, this particular option makes Windows 8.1 an operating system that’s much more appropriate for desktop computers, as users complained that the Start screen didn’t make much sense since it was mostly aimed at touch-capable devices. Microsoft, on the other hand, explained that the Start screen was more like a feature supposed to replace the Start Menu and provide users with a single view for all their favorite apps, while also boasting helpful options such as live tiles.
Now Microsoft wants to bring back the Start Menu in Windows Threshold, along with even more features that are supposed to enhance the overall experience with Modern apps.
For example, it appears that Microsoft is considering implementing in Windows Threshold some of the features that were previously offered via third-party software, such as ModernMix, which allows users to launch Metro apps right on the desktop in their very own windows.
Of course, Microsoft hasn’t yet commented on this, but a spokesperson said that there was nothing to share on the topic, which in most cases means that there’s indeed some truth behind the reports.