Why Microsoft Scrapped The Start Button

Why Microsoft Scrapped The Start Button


When it came to light that Microsoft was planning to remove the Start button from Windows for good, many ardent fans of its functionality were unhappy. Now, Microsoft has explained why it made the choice to ditch the button, which has graced PC desktops for over 17 years.

Speaking to PC Pro, Chaitanya Sareen, principal program manager at Microsoft, explains the decision:

“We’d seen the trend in Windows 7. When we evolved the taskbar we saw awesome adoption of pinning [applications] on the taskbar. We are seeing people pin like crazy. And so we saw the Start menu usage dramatically dropping, and that gave us an option…

“So I’m a desktop user, I pin the browser, Explorer, whatever my apps are. I don’t go the Start menu as often. If you’re going to the Start screen now, we’re going to unlock a whole new set of scenarios, or you can choose not to go there, stay in the desktop, and it’s still fast. You can’t beat the taskbar.”

Of course, although the Start button is gone, it’s not forgotten. In fact it’s replaced by a hot corner in the lower left side of the screen, and it’s complemented by more menus in the bottom right corner. Whether that will appease every Start button fan is still uncertain — but come October, the loss is something they’ll have to to face. [PC Pro]

Image: freestockimages/Flickr


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.