Remember the Start Menu? Microsoft is bringing it back. That much is clear enough, as the company announced the forthcoming resurrection at Build earlier this year. But here’s something new: The Start Menu is now expected to return in August.
The new Start Menu — All Of This Has Happened Before And Will Happen Again — will incorporate Live Tiles and other Windows 8 elements that will update the venerable UI element with Microsoft’s “modern” user interface push.
Mary Jo Foley recently reported that Microsoft is looking to boost its Windows development cadence to a twice-yearly update cycle. The Start Menu will return as part of the next update to Windows, which will land likely in August.
This will put Microsoft in a decent position heading into the back-to-school period and holiday sales cycle.
Microsoft is widely expected to fuse Windows Phone and Windows RT in the future, as TechCrunch has reported several times. Also, the platforms are undergoing increasing unification regarding their applications and stores. Don’t expect a Start Menu on your phone, however.
It’s also worth noting that none of this is a surprise.
