The tech giant is reportedly planning to reintroduce the Start Menu in Windows 8.1

Apr 17, 2013 14:55 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is expected to launch the first major upgrade for Windows 8 this summer, in an attempt to refresh its flagship operating system and fix some of the issues so many users have complained about, including the lack of a Start button.

Sources close to the matter revealed yesterday that Microsoft may actually bring back the Start button in Windows 8.1 together with a new option that would allow users to skip the Metro UI and boot straight to the desktop.

Microsoft hasn’t released an official statement on this, but our readers seem to be delighted with the company’s decision to relaunch the Start button, even though this could be another sign that its initial strategy is actually unsuccessful.

Here are some of the comments we received after posting the story regarding the return of the Start button in Windows 8.1:

“Microsoft is now in the defensive position. Microsoft now needs to get its stuff back together and listen to the vocal minority who are complaining the loudest.”

“An excellent company is guided by their customers. Microsoft tries to guide their customers. That's why they got themselves in trouble. Listen here MS, we want our desk top. We do not want a bunch of advertising when our computers start up.”

“Maybe they should just remove metro entirely since it serves no useful purpose.”

“It's not just the start button or start screen, they should remove every touch interface element for the desktop users and provide a desktop interface for it and disable metro entirely for desktop users.”

“Too little too late Microsoft. Even if they bring back their start button; I'm not going to be using it. With Classic Shell each user can have his own personalized Start Button and the option of going straight to the desktop or beginning with the start screen. Why couldn't a software company that creates operating systems create give me these options?”

While it’s not yet clear whether Microsoft indeed plans to bring back the Start button in Windows 8.1, such a decision pretty much makes sense, mostly because this was one of the most controversial aspects of Windows 8.

Soon after its public debut in October 2012, Windows 8 had to face an avalanche of criticism, not only because of the UI changes it brought with the Metro environment, but also because of the lack of a Start button. Many users turned to third-party Start Menu apps, some of which experienced a terrific success due to Microsoft’s decision to remove the original feature.