Microsoft teases new Windows 10 Start menu that de-emphasizes Live Tiles

[Karlston]

Microsoft finally shows off the new Windows 10 Start menu

This is what it’ll look like

(Image credit: Microsoft)

 

There have been plenty of rumors and leaks recently about Microsoft overhauling the iconic Start menu of Windows 10, and now the company has officially shown off what it’s been working on.

 

During the Windows Insider podcast, Microsoft announced the changes it was making to the Start menu, which has been designed to “visually differentiate the Start menu from something that’s chaotic color to something that’s more uniform.”

 

Essentially, it seems like Microsoft has deemed the current Windows 10 Start menu to be too busy, so it’s going for a more understated look that’s more simple to use, and will make finding apps easier.

 

One of the biggest changes to the Windows 10 Start menu will be to Live Tiles. These have been included with Windows 10 since the start, and are animated app icons that provide extra information depending on the app they represent. While useful on mobile device with limited screen space (such as smartphones, as Live Tiles originated in the doomed Windows Phone operating system), they made the Start menu of Windows 10 look cluttered and confusing.

 

Not that many apps use Live Tiles any more, which led to rumors that Microsoft was preparing to ditch them altogether.

 

From what Microsoft has now shown of the new Windows 10 Start menu, it seems that Live Tiles will be replaced with static icons that use Microsoft’s new Fluent Design style.

 

However, Microsoft was keen to point out that Live Tiles are not getting killed off (yet), and that “those that enjoy their Live Tiles will continue to be able to do so.”

Familiar looking

While Microsoft appears to be keeping Live Tiles for now, albeit in a very pared-back form, their days may still be numbered. 

 

According to The Verge, Microsoft hasn’t made its mind up on what to do with Live Tiles just yet, and will be keeping an eye on feedback from people using Windows 10X, the dual-screen version of Windows 10, which has a Start menu that doesn’t feature Live Tiles.

 

Other than that, it seems the upcoming Start menu will look quite similar to the existing one, but anything Microsoft does to make the Start menu less cluttered and easier to use is a good move in our view.

 

We’re not sure when the new Start menu will appear in Windows 10, but it’s probably too late for it to be included in the upcoming Windows 10 20H1 (also known as Windows 10 2004) update.

 

 

Source: Microsoft finally shows off the new Windows 10 Start menu (TechRadar)

[Pete 12]

I like "Open Shell" much better still...............

[zigzag]

I like Remove-AppxPackage which removes 90 percent of Microsoft garbage in one breeze.

It makes my start menu so fluent and clutter free.

[psyko666]

Doe the LTSC release also get this?

[polz]

9 minutes ago, psyko666 said:

Doe the LTSC release also get this?

 

no

[zanderthunder]

16 minutes ago, psyko666 said:

Doe the LTSC release also get this?

not sure, but probably the next LTSC release in 2021 might have that. just wait what Microsoft will said.

[spudboy]

There was another topic a while back that had images of this "new" Start Menu. It looks exactly the same to me. Other than the different color in the image, what exactly looks different about it?

[zanderthunder]

2 hours ago, spudboy said:

There was another topic a while back that had images of this "new" Start Menu. It looks exactly the same to me. Other than the different color in the image, what exactly looks different about it?

There was a thread before about this, but it discusses on the new modern icons.

But judging from the picture, I bet that the modern icons making debut on newer builds of Windows 10. Possibly we will see full debut of modern icons on this year's Win 10 update, for now only the UWP apps from the Store receives new modern icon.

[duddy]

Microsoft teases new Windows 10 Start menu that de-emphasizes Live Tiles

 

 

Microsoft is “exploring” a new Windows 10 Start menu design that will see the company de-emphasize its Live Tiles. The potential changes were revealed in a Windows Insider podcast today and are designed to “visually differentiate the Start menu from something that’s chaotic color to something that’s more uniform.” Microsoft is looking at reducing the color of the blocks of the tiled interface on the Start menu to simplify it and make it easier to scan for apps.

 

The software maker has been using Live Tiles on the Start menu in Windows 10 ever since it launched nearly five years ago, providing animated and flipping icons that were similar to Windows Phone. Microsoft has already dropped Live Tiles from its Windows 10X Start menu for dual screens, but the company claims the colorful tiled interface isn’t going away in the main desktop OS despite this new design direction.

 

“Live Tiles are not going away, we have not announced anything of the sort,” says Brandon LeBlanc, a senior program manager on the Windows Insider team. “Those that enjoy their Live Tiles will continue to be able to do so.”

 

 

 

 

Before (with color background) and after (with transparency)

 

 

Despite these reassurances, it certainly looks like Live Tiles will be scrapped fully at some point in the future. Not all of Microsoft’s built-in Windows 10 apps support them, and developer support hasn’t been strong either. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that a final decision on Live Tiles in Windows 10 hasn’t been made yet despite rumors, and that the feedback from the change in Windows 10X will determine their future.

 

The new Windows 10X Start menu looks very different to the existing menu found in the desktop version of Windows 10. It includes apps you can pin in place and a list of recent documents, and looks like more of a task launcher than what exists right now. Windows 10’s Start menu design has come into focus recently after Microsoft started rolling out colorful new Windows 10 icons. The new icons clash a little with the colorful background of the Start menu tiles, and this small design update is clearly aimed at resolving that.

 

Source

[Matrix]

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