The Rumor Is That Microsoft Will Bail On Its New Age User-Interface And Go Back To The Old Style

PC sales are abysmal right now, and sluggish consumer interest in Microsoft Windows 8 isn't helping.

To fix the problem, Microsoft is working on a new version of Windows 8 called Windows Blue.

Top Microsoft reporter Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet says one of the biggest changes in Blue will be that it will work more like old-fashioned versions of Windows.

Currently, Windows 8 tablets/desktops/laptops feature a startup screen interface that looks like this:

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That design is called "Metro."

Microsoft first introduced the look with Windows Phone 8. It brought it to PCs last fall.

Foley says the gossip is that Windows Blue will feature a more traditional look.

Foley:

Reports from a couple of different forums from this past weekend raised the possibility that Microsoft might be moving toward allowing users to skip booting into the Metro-Style Start menu and instead start their PCs in desktop mode. (Winbeta.org noted the thread about this on April 14.)

One of my sources confirmed this is now looking like the plan and added that Microsoft is also considering bringing back the Start button as an option with Windows Blue.