The Metro user interface that Microsoft unveiled with Windows 8 has spawned a cult of haters but the company isn’t done coming up with ways to make its live tiles less annoying to its user base. The Verge reports that a leaked build of a new Windows 8.1 update slated to launch next month contains new features aimed at easing some big pain points on the Metro display.
Among other things, Microsoft a search button and a shutdown button at the top of the screen, which should give users a much more intuitive way to perform basic computing tasks from the Metro screen. The new update will also include “a new title bar for Microsoft’s Windows 8-style apps, allowing you to close, minimize, and snap apps side-by-side with a mouse” that “appears to be included as more of a helpful option for mouse users to quickly navigate apps,” The Verge writes.
The leaked Windows 8.1 update is just the latest indication that Microsoft is working to make Windows 8 more friendly to desktop users who don’t see much use for Microsoft’s touch-centric interface. Microsoft brought back the Start button for Windows 8.1’s desktop mode and it’s rumored to be bringing back the full Start menu for a major update that it will release in 2015. In a nod to many users’ dislike of Metro, Microsoft will also reportedly have Windows 8.1 boot straight to the desktop mode by default in its next Windows 8.1 release.
