According to Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley, Windows 8.1 Update 2 will not bring the recently demonstrated start menu to the latest Windows version. If Foley is right, it will be at least in 2015 before the start menu will make its comeback and become part of Windows 8.1. After the release of Windows 8, Microsoft received lots of criticism from users for the removal of the start menu. The company argued it gathered data on usage of the start menu which showed them only a low percentage of the users actually used the start men. Instead users would more frequently pin applications to the taskbar.
At the beginning of April this year, Microsoft demonstrated a new start menu for Windows 8 during its BUILD conference, likely due to the continuing criticism. The demonstrated menu was a combination of the classic start menu with a list of applications and Live Tiles of the Metro UI. Microsoft stated the menu would become a feature of an upcoming version of Windows 8.1, but according to Foley this won't be Windows 8.1 Update 2, expected in August this year.
According to Foley, Microsoft developers want to hold off until the release of the 'Threshold' update, which is possibly Windows 9. Also running Metro applications in a desktop window will likely be delayed and introduced in Windows 9 instead of Windows 8.1 Update 2. Now the company apparently delays the introduction of these features, it's unclear what Microsoft is planning for Windows 8.1 Update 2.
Mary Jo Foley is a well known Microsoft watcher who publishes her stories on technology site ZDnet.com. Although the delay of the return of the start menu has not been confirmed by official Microsoft sources, Foley has an excellent track record on Microsoft news. Those waiting for Microsoft to bring back a full fledged start menu will likely have to wait a couple of months extra.
