It looks like Metro apps on the desktop will happen before Windows 9 arrives. Microsoft’s first big update to Windows 8.1may let you do it when it arrives this spring.
More leaked images have been shared by WZor, and they offer a closer look at some of the key changes Microsoft is working on for Windows 8.1 Update 1.
The first clue we got that Metro apps were heading to the desktop was that they could be pinned to the taskbar in an earlier leaked build. In WZor’s latest images, you can see that Metro apps are finally getting a title bar. Microsoft’s done it well, too, integrating the new controls in a way that doesn’t take away much screen space (20 vertical pixels or less) from Metro apps. So while Metro apps on the desktop seem all but certain, there’s still plenty of mystery surrounding the Start Screen.
WZor claims that Windows 8.1 Update 1 boots directly to the desktop. Other who’ve gotten their hands on the leaked build say that’s not always the case. Now, this is a work in progress. It’s possible that boot-to-desktop was enabled by default merely to test something in the update. It’s also possible that Windows was picking up a user preference from synchronized user data or a previous install.
t’s not likely that Microsoft would make skipping the Start Screen the default for all Windows 8.1 users. The tiled interface is a fixture on all their platforms — Windows, Xbox, Windows Phone, and even Windows Server. It’s too early to pull the pin on it.
Many Windows Vista users hated the new Start Menu it brought, yet praised the Windows 7 version — which wasn’t really all that different. The Start Screen needs more time, too, and Microsoft won’t give up on it just yet.
There may be another option, though. During the first run wizard, why not present users with a choice: do you want to see the Start Screen first or head straight to the desktop? Give users some reasons they might way to choose either option, and then let them pick. Just don’t be sneaky and hide it in the express settings, OK?
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