The Windows 10 release date, along with the return of the Start Button, might be delayed by Windows 8.1 Update 3.
Those expecting to see the Start Button return to their Windows 8.1 devices later this year will be sorely disappointed.
According to an ITPro source, Microsoft is holding back the Start Menu to launch with the next “major” Windows version, Windows 9 Threshold.
Originally, it was tipped that the Start Menu would arrive in Windows
8.1 Update 2, which should launch in July, but now it seems that plan
has been scrapped.
The source suggests that the Windows 10 release date has been delayed from April 2015 to June 2015, so you’re going to have to wait another year to see the new Windows and the Start Menu on your PC.
So what’s causing the delay? Well, it looks like Microsoft may have delayed the Spring 2015 Windows 10 release date in order to prioritise a Windows 8.1 Update 3.
Microsoft itself has never outlined launch timings for the Start Menu or Windows 9, but Microsoft Operating Systems Head Terry Myerson did say at Build that the Start Menu would return with “the next iteration” of Windows. Of course, that could refer to an update or Windows 10.
Windows 8.1 brought back the Start button but never quite returned the full menu and its functionality.
The new-look Start Menu shown off briefly during Microsoft Built earlier this year is a kind of hybrid. It looks very similar to the Windows 7 Start Menu but has touches of the Windows 8 UI and dynamic content thrown in where appropriate.
At least Microsoft has worked hard to respond to user feedback for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, with the latter now turned into a very good operating system, even for touchscreen-free laptops and desktops.
Read more: Best laptops 2014
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
