Lenovo will add a start menu, start button and own app store to its Windows 8 PCs. The applications are part of the Pokki platform, created by the American software developer SweetLabs. This company claims that it will enhance the Windows 8 experience of Lenovo customers but there's a strong smell of bloatware around it.
Although Microsoft will add its own revamped start button and menu in the upcoming Windows 8.1 update, Lenovo couldn't wait for the update. Windows 8.1 should be released on October 17th this year and contains a start tip.
PC manufacturers complain since the release of Windows 8 in October 2012 about the disappointing sales numbers of Microsoft's latest operating system. Often heard criticism is the lack of the start menu and the company SweetLabs seems to be trying to take advantage of Microsoft's controversial decision to leave it out. Not only will their Pokki software including their version of the start menu be added to Windows 8 PCs from Lenovo, the company has a similar agreement with Acer.
The start menu and start button are part of the Pokki platform which allows for dragging and dropping of applications to the start menu. The menu not only supports Windows applications but also applications developed specifically for the Pokki platform. While both companies claim that they want to improve the Windows 8 experience, Lenovo gets paid for bundling the software which makes it so called bloatware.
Bloatware is third part software placed on computers by PC manufacturers for commercial reasons and not by demand of the user. The software is pre-installed on the system and consumes storage space. Bloatware applications often include trials of anti-virus software of which users complain it slows down their system, while they didn't even ask for the software to be installed.
Sweetlabs generates its revenues mainly from revenues generated by app developers that publish applications on the Pokki platform. The apps on the platform are free but developers earn money with in-app purchases of which Lenevo also gets its share.
