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IDC: Windows 8 users want Start menu and booting to desktop

It's been over four months since Microsoft launched Windows 8, and the evidence is growing that the newest version of the company's operating system is not gaining as many users as previous Windows versions. So what can Microsoft do to solve that problem?

Bob O'Donnell, an analyst for research firm IDC, says the firm's research has shown two things about people who have used Windows 8. One is they miss the Start menu in desktop mode, something which we have pointed out in the past. The other thing they miss is the ability to boot Windows 8 in desktop mode, bypassing the touchscreen oriented Start screen.

CNET quotes O'Donnell as saying:

Those two things have come up consistently. We've done some research and people miss that. And there are a lot of people that as soon as they boot into Windows 8, they go to desktop mode and do most their work there and occasionally back to Metro. But the point being they're much more comfortable with desktop mode.

So will Microsoft make changes to Windows 8 to make these users happy? It's doubtful that the company will add a Start menu screen back to the desktop, bit O'Donnell seems to hint that Microsoft could be pressured by PC OEMs to allow Windows 8 to boot into desktop mode. He states, "Certainly if you talk to PC vendors, they'd like to see Microsoft do that. Because they recognize some of the challenges that consumers are facing."

Source: CNET | Image via Microsoft

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