Since Windows 95, Microsoft has included the Start button, a button that opened a list of Applications and Folder shortcuts, in each new version of Windows. While there have been changes, such as the change from the word “Start” to a Windows ‘orb,’ the main functions of the menu have remained the same.
But it now looks like the famous button and menu is on the chopping block thanks to leaked screenshots on PCBeta, a Chinese website which says they’ve been leaked a near-final “Consumer Beta.” Instead of the ‘orb’ seen in Windows Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft will now use a ‘hot-corner’ to open a menu, but the menu will still not be the Start menu seen in Windows 7.
It would be a massive change, but the button never really fit in with the Developer Preview, so maybe it’s for the best.
On another note, why the hell is the Consumer Preview still using the same Aero as in Windows 7 and Vista? If Microsoft wants to switch to Metro, they might as well fully switch.