Monday 27 May 2013
Leaked internal builds of the next Windows release, so far known by its codename "Blue", include code that restore the Start button (to trigger the Modern UI Start screen) but also allow users to boot directly into the Desktop environment. This would eliminate some of the criticism of Windows 8 and help encourage Windows XP and 7 users to upgrade. However, the move could sideline the Windows 8 Modern UI. Allowing users to completely ignore Modern UI would make the new Windows platform much less attractive to developers, resulting in a weaker selection of apps in the Windows Store. It isn't clear how exactly these features might be implemented. A public preview of the update, likely to be named Windows 8.1, is expected in late June.
Sales of Windows 8, both as a standalone product and preinstalled on new computers, have been weak since its launch in October 2012, thanks in part to slowing global demand for PCs and laptops.
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