Technology news juggernaut The Verge is reporting that Microsoft will in fact kind of bring back the Start Button in Windows Blue or Windows 8.1.
I say kind of because well, it’s a little complicated.
From the Verge:
Microsoft is preparing to revive the traditional Start button it killed with Windows 8. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed to The Verge that Windows 8.1 will include the return of the Start button. We understand that the button will act as a method to simply access the Start Screen, and will not include the traditional Start Menu. The button is said to look near-identical to the existing Windows flag used in the Charm bar.
That’s a little weird to me.
It seems like Microsoft are still trying to have their cake and eat it as well.
My question is this:
If I use the Start Button to go to the Start Screen and launch an application that takes me back to the desktop, isn’t that a little stupid?
Wouldn’t it be better to have a full Start8 type Start Button which would launch apps in the desktop and if need be launch me into Metro?
Seems like a little more intuitive way to go if you ask me.
What do you guys think?
Start Screen should be like portrait snapped view. That’d be perfect!
Why bother to give us a button without it doing what I need it to do? If I need to open an application while staring at some number in Excel, I really don’t want to go to the Start Screen- ever. This just means alot of people will continue to use third party menu replacements.
I think it needs a traditional start menu in order to even “compete” with windows 7.
The Start Menu is not needed, Windows 7 is slow and clunky by comparison. I think it is great idea but I would rather see a little more like the start button in the developer preview. The old start menu was too hard to use on touch devices.
That is not a bad idea!
Well, everyone complains about a missing start button, not a missing start menu…
I just helped two clients each purchase a Surface Pro at a local Windows store this past weekend. When the helpful salesman was demo-ing Windows 8, he showed them the icon they touch to get to the application window of Win8. He also showed the icons for Office 2013 in the “Metro” section to get to the application window. He showed the full screen/list of all the apps installed. He showed the Charms menu and the Settings of how you get to everything ‘behind’ the screen. Neither of my clients asked about the Start button. There really isn’t a need for it…where the apps or settings menus are now located makes MUCH more sense. I bet everyone who complains about Win 8 having no Start Button never spent 24hours with a Windows 8 computer. If they did, they’d shut up.
90% of the programs i use are desktop only apps anyway…and why do i want to run my web browser in metro when as soon as i go to do something else, the music im steaming stops. i like some of the features of metro but others are just plain bad. I have win 8 dual-booted on my computer and i can use it for 4-5 hours but after that i find something that’s screwy, try to find a workaround, get frustrated, and resort back to my default os-win7. to do a search you cant just pull up the start menu and start typing, you cant sort your start screen icons into folders by categories, on the traditional 5400rpm laptop drive win8 isnt any faster then 7…or both on a ssd they both boot in seconds. 8 is great for touch screens but without it, its just irritating to use…
Go to the start screen and start typing. You might be surprised.
Your last sentence is key. Win 8 is great for touch screens. I saw my clients use the keyboard and touch the screen while they were registering their laptop and putting in their email/server details. They didn’t even miss a mouse! I’m sure all those bloggers who downloaded Windows 8 on their old Win7 computers have written all the awful reviews. I wonder how many of them would admit they never used a touchscreen with Win 8?