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Windows start menu set for comeback...
Fri, 4th Apr 2014
FYI, this story is more than a year old

We all may have seen the reintroduction of the start button after the update to Windows 8.1, but now Microsoft has hinted at a return of a classic style start menu.

With Windows 8.1 set for a host of updates, the announcement was blogged by Terry Myerson after Day One of the Microsoft BUILD conference in San Francisco.

"Finally, I previewed some work we are doing for the next iteration of Windows, which builds on the journey we began with Windows 8 just over a year ago as well as the releases we’ve done since then," he wrote.

"In particular, I showed some early thinking on how the user experience in Windows will evolve in a way that will help developers’ apps make their way to users across devices and form factors.

"We set out to do this is a thoughtful way – one where we could enable more productivity for customers working in desktop mode, while building smart bridges to the new modern user experience and ensuring customers can get access to all your great apps in the Windows Store no matter where they are in the experience, or which device type they’re on."

Many had lamented the loss of the classic Windows start menu, but now it seems Microsoft has struck a balance for users that do not have touch enabled devices, with Windows still keeping its live tiles in a bid to become more accessible for traditional mouse and keyboard users.

Are you happy to see the return of the start menu? Tell us your thoughts below