Windows 8.1 Update 1 To Come With Start Screen Tweaks, Still No Sign Of Start Menu!

Looks like Microsoft has finally realised that its Windows 8 Modern UI strategy was actually a 'flop'!

Well, apparently Microsoft is on a different course now, having finally realised that its Windows 8 Modern UI strategy was not an all together fruitful one. Better late than never, we say! A video doing the rounds reveals that the Start screen and Modern apps will be demoted to less prominent roles in the upcoming Windows 8.1 Update 1. The update is expect to be released in March/April 2014.

Youtube user Bavo Luysterborg has posted a video walkthrough of the various changes. Here are a list of changes:

1. Modern apps/Store apps can now be pinned to the Start menu and launched from there, reducing the importance of the Start screen.

2. Modern apps now have a title bar that appears when the mouse cursor approaches the top of the screen.

3 Apps can now be minimised, closed, or docked to either side of the screen via the Windows Snap feature.

4. The Start screen will now have buttons in the top right corner for power and search, which previously required users to dive into the poorly conceived 'charms' panel.

5. The default tile layout and the All Apps view have also been redesigned. Right-clicking on a tile or option now brings up a regular context menu in place. Holding the Ctrl key will allow multiple tiles to be selected in one go.

6. There is still however no sign of a traditional Start menu.

7. Update 1 will ship with a new build of Internet Explorer 11, which features a new Enterprise mode.

Shivam Kotwalia, CodeKill