Microsoft, which is being berated for taking out the Start button from Windows 8, may put it back in the next major Windows update known as Windows Blue.
The classic Start menu which Windows users have come to know and love over the years, was missing in Windows 8, which was released in October 2012, resulting in an unprecedented backlash and many criticized that Windows 8 is possibly as bad as Windows Vista.
Many PC manufacturers also blamed the new OS for the sharp downslide in PC and laptop sales in recent quarters. The radical changes to the user interface, the removal of Start button and the inability to boot to traditional desktop screen have prompted people to put off purchasing new PCs, some analysts suggest.
According to Forrester Research's JP Gownder, Windows 8 is suitable for touch-based devices but for "users without touchscreen on their devices, the desktop experience needs to remain top-notch."
Microsoft, however, continues to maintain that Windows 8 is their best operating system to date and the new Metro tile interface is "easy to start to learn and then fun to just keep engaging with and learning more."
According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, Windows 8.1 (otherwise known as Windows Blue) could possibly see the Start button being restored and it may be possible for users to bypass the Start screen and launch into the desktop mode entirely at boot.
Foley cited a couple of forums that suggested that Microsoft was toying with the idea of restoring Windows Start button though it may be equally likely that the Start button may not find its way into the final, released product.
Microsoft has made no official mention or statement that it's working on such a feature but if the Microsoft Portal is to be believed, the software giant could be at least toying with the idea.
In a recent earnings announcement, outgoing Microsoft CFO Peter Klein stopped short of saying that the company will be restoring Start button in the next Windows update but he did say that Microsoft takes customer feedback seriously and the company is "working closely with the [hardware makers] to help them take Windows 8 across different form factors."
The final version of Windows Blue isn't expected to be released until the end of this Summer, but a preview version of the OS could be made available by Microsoft as early as June.
