14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft accidentally released an internal Windows 10 build to users enrolled in the Windows Insider program, and while the company recommended everyone not to install it, those who did discovered quite a few interesting changes.
One of them is a new Start menu design, which seems to align just perfectly with the latest rumors suggesting the software giant could be giving up on live tiles.
The new Start menu design, revealed on Twitter by @NTAuthority, indeed abandons live tiles and sticks with a minimal design that appears to match the new light theme that Microsoft implemented in Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903).
The tablet mode, which replaces the Start menu with a Start screen a la Windows 8.1, drops live tiles as well.
New Start menu design for Windows Lite
Rumors that have been making the rounds lately suggested that Microsoft was working on a new Windows version called Windows Lite, whose purpose would be specifically to compete against Chrome OS.
This Windows Lite version was supposed to come with a simplified Start menu that wouldn’t use live tiles, as internal Microsoft data indicated this feature wasn’t necessarily popular among Windows 10 users. However, it’s not yet known if Microsoft wants to use the same approach for all Windows 10 SKUs and give up on live tiles in the Start menu across the entire OS SKU lineup.
While such a change could take place in Windows 10 20H1, if it indeed receives the green light, Microsoft is yet to publicly announce a Start menu redesign, so our only option is to wait and see if the company indeed wants to give up on live tiles in the OS.
The next feature update for Windows 10 is called 19H2, but such a substantial change is unlikely to go live in this particular release, as the focus here will be mostly on under-the-good improvements.