14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has finally confirmed that Windows Blue would be released next month, but the company hasn’t provided too many details about the next major release.
But Julie Larson-Green, the new Windows boss after Steven Sinofsky’s departure, said at the Wired Business Conference in New York that Blue would pay much more attention to user feedback, hinting that a Start button is indeed on the table for the time being.
Larson-Green explained that Windows 8 already came with a Start button-like feature, available via a right-click in the bottom left corner, but users apparently want to have such a feature always on their screens.
“It's hidden, so some people like the comfort of having it show up on the screen all the time, so they just know their home place and where to go,” she said.
What’s more, the new Windows boss explained that Microsoft’s way to address user complaints in the upcoming Windows Blue “might” be helpful for some, suggesting that a different kind of a Start button is indeed in the works.
Sources familiar with the matter previously reported that Microsoft is indeed planning to bring back the Start button in Windows Blue, but instead of launching a Start Menu, it would most likely act as a simple shortcut for the Start Screen.
This means that Microsoft isn’t willing to restore a full-featured Start button, but only a quick way to access the Start Screen that uses the same designed as the traditional Windows feature.
Such an option could indeed be helpful for some, but many users might actually be disappointed with it, so third-party Start Menu apps could continue experiencing a terrific success. It remains to be seen if Microsoft decides to allow users to replace the upcoming Start button with a third-party one launching a classic Start Menu.