14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is bringing back the Start menu in Windows 10, and that’s quite a big change for those who wanted a more familiar desktop, but it turns out that Redmond is also looking to introduce this feature on Windows RT, its almost-abandoned version of Windows 8 running on ARM tablets.
Windows RT will receive only some Windows 10 features, the company explains, but it appears that no exciting improvements are planned for the time being.
A report by WinBeta claims that Windows RT could indeed get the Windows 10 Start menu in a future update, but not the one that we now have in RTM. Instead, Microsoft is working to introduce the original Start menu offered in the first Windows 10 preview builds, as there are a number of limitations created by the new APIs.
Basically, the first Start menu that was available in Windows 10 build 9841 was based on the old set of APIs introduced in Windows 8, which Windows RT already uses, whereas the new Start menu integrated in RTM uses new APIs that do not work on an older platform.
The Start menu doesn’t make sense on Windows RT
Users will still be allowed to toggle between the Start menu and the Start screen, but it’s hard to find a reason the Start menu will actually make sense on a Windows RT tablet.
Both the Surface RT and the Surface 2 come with rather small screens, and since they’re running Windows RT, sticking to the Modern UI is a much better option. Windows RT comes with the RT version of Office 2013 Home and Student on the desktop, but since no other desktop apps are available, the Start menu makes only little sense.
Universal apps won’t work on Windows RT either, so it’s pretty clear that this particular OS version doesn’t have a future in Microsoft’s vision and should be discontinued very soon.