Microsoft provides further details on "Blue," the Windows 8 (or 8.1, if one wants to be specific) update promising a number of changes to the tablet-centric OS-- including, perhaps, a return of the Start button.
Such hints come from the Wired Business Conference, where Windows chief Julie Larson-Green admits Microsoft is "thinking about" replacing the tiny Start-style UI element lurking in the lower left of the Windows 8 desktop with a traditional button.
"There has been meaningful discussion," Larson-Green says. "The button might be helpful to have on the screen for some people... We're principled in the direction we're heading, but we're not going to be stubborn."
At least some people have been clamoring for a Windows 8 Start button-- by January 2013 1.5 million customers downloaded Pokki, a free Windows 8 start menu replacement app, while Windows Classic Shell downloads spiked following the Windows 8 launch.
During the conference Larson-Green also confirms the Windows 8.1 "Blue" public preview release will be available come June 2013, following the BUILD conference.
In other Microsoft news CFO Tami Reller announces Windows 8 licenses hit 100m in 6 months, Windows Store downloads total 250m and Windows 8- and RT-certified devices number at around 2400. She also says Blue will "deliver the latest new innovations across an increasingly broad array of form factors of all sizes, display, battery life and performance."
Go Julie Larson-Green at the Wired Business Conference
Go Windows 8 at 6 Months: Q&A With Tami Reller
Go Pokki Blog
