14 DAY TRIAL // The new Start menu is one of the key features of Windows 10, and Microsoft obviously wants to get it right, especially because the new OS is supposed to make the desktop a more familiar working environment for Windows 7 users.
As a result, the Start menu is supposed to get more features in the coming months before Windows 10 reaches RTM, but specifics are not yet available aside for a few hints provided by the company itself at the BUILD 2015 developer conference in San Francisco.
Redmond rolled out Windows 10 build 10074 to insiders earlier today, and this version does come with a revamped Start menu, but it turns out that there’s more to come in future updates.
Aero-like effects and jump lists
Windows 10 build 10074 is the first version that comes with what seem to be 3D live tiles, a new design for the traditional live tiles that’s based on a rotating animation for both the Start menu and the Start screen.
At BUILD, however, Microsoft revealed that, in order to make the Start menu look more like the one in Windows 7, it would also introduce a blur effect that seems to be inspired by Aero, the visual effect pack that was indeed available before Windows 8.
Jump lists will also make their debut in Windows 10, and together with Start menu resizing options and other configuration settings, everyone should be able to configure this feature just the way they want.
Windows 10 is projected to launch in the summer of 2015, but no details are available for now. RTM should be reached sometime in June if development goes according to plan, before general availability reportedly scheduled for July or August.
The Start menu, however, can already be taken for a spin by downloading Windows 10 build 10074, which is the latest version released to insiders.