Windows 8 is an OS struggling to capture the imagination of the masses, and now rumors suggest that Microsoft may alter the way its Start Screen works in Windows 8.1 Update 1.
https://gizmodo.com/hp-would-very-much-rather-you-buy-a-windows-7-pc-1504977965
When Windows 8.1 landed last year it included an option to bypass the Metro interface. But now “sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans” have told The Verge that Microsoft is planning to enable that setting by default, rendering the tiled interface an option rather than the norm. Apparently the latest builds of Windows 8.1 Update 1 at Microsoft boot straight to the desktop.
https://gizmodo.com/windows-8-1-review-little-changes-make-a-big-differenc-1446625571
If that’s true—and it’s still a fairly big if—it would no doubt be motivated by a desire to make the OS more user friendly for those using a gool ol’ keyboard and mouse, rather than a touchscreen. That would be reasonable, given that the likes of HP have even started pushing Windows 7 over 8 to solve that exact problem.
Even if this is all correct there’s still plenty of time for Microsoft to have a change of heart and maintain the Metro interface at boot. But given the Start button has already been resurrected thanks to popular demand, booting to desktop could just go the same way. [Verge]
