The Start menu will return in new Desktop-optimized version of Windows 8.2

Looks like I might finally make the switch to windows 8.  In one of the early podcasts I talked about what I thought Windows 8 would be and how the Metro interface would be the tablet version while a desktop would still lurk under the covers.  Sadly they nurfed the desktop and focused on touch and tablets.

Well, it has been over a year now and Microsoft finally understands what they did wrong.  I'm still not happy with the visuals given that flat colors and large buttons are so '93 but, babysteps and all.

With Windows 8.1 out of the way, Microsoft has now begun work on Windows 8.2. According to sources close to the development Windows 8.2, dubbed Threshold, Microsoft will bring Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox One closer together — to the threshold, if you will, of being a fully unified OS. Furthermore, again according to insider sources, Windows 8.2 will introduce a “traditional desktop” SKU that is optimized for mouse-and-keyboard Desktop users and resurrects the original Start menu.

I'm all for unifying the platforms but you have to focus on the strengths of each.  Tablets are for entertainment so touch is important.  Desktops are for work and you need more precision and to maximize efficiency.  The XBOX, ya, well that is a console so controllers are king unless you factor in the Kinect which is both good and bad.

Related Web URL: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/172468-the-st...