14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has already confirmed that it plans to bring the Start menu in a future Windows 8.1 update, so the traditional Windows feature, whose absence was one of the main reasons behind Windows 8’s slow sales, should be here before Windows 9 hits the market in April 2015.
DeviantArt user Reymond-P-Scene has created a Windows 9 concept that also features a Start menu with a design very similar to the one shown by Microsoft at the BUILD 2014 developer conference, which includes live tiles and a search box that allows you to look for information locally and on the web.
As you can see in the photo published above, the concept looks really good and the Start menu would clearly appeal to many users, especially to those who are still relying on a mouse and keyboard as the main input method for their computers.
As far as Microsoft’s Start menu is concerned, Redmond is believed to make it available on desktop PCs exclusively, while touch-capable devices would still get to use the Start screen.
The company hasn’t provided too many details about the Start menu, but it did mention that it’s expected to arrive in the next iteration of Windows.
“I previewed some work we are doing for the next iteration of Windows, which builds on the journey we began with Windows 8 just over a year ago as well as the releases we’ve done since then. In particular, I showed some early thinking on how the user experience in Windows will evolve in a way that will help developers’ apps make their way to users across devices and form factors,” Terry Myerson, head of the OS division, said after the BUILD 2014 developer conference.
Together with the Start menu, Microsoft will also implement options to run Metro apps in dedicated windows, right on the desktop, in a way that’s very similar to the traditional gadgets available in Windows 7. The software giant claims that all these improvements are supposed to provide PC users with a better experience when running the modern operating system.
“We set out to do this is a thoughtful way – one where we could enable more productivity for customers working in desktop mode, while building smart bridges to the new modern user experience and ensuring customers can get access to all your great apps in the Windows Store no matter where they are in the experience, or which device type they’re on,” Myerson pointed out.
Windows 9 is projected to be unveiled in April 2015, approximately one year after the launch of Windows 8.1 Update which was revealed earlier this month at BUILD.