Microsoft may remove ‘Start’ button from Windows 8

New York: Microsoft has reportedly made the brave decision to remove the Start button from its Windows 8 interface, which was introduced in Windows 95.

According to reports, Microsoft is replacing the Start button with a hot corner that shows a preview of either the desktop or the Metro-style Start screen.

According to leaked screenshots from the tech site, The Verge, earlier test versions of Windows 8 had flattened the recognisable ‘orb’, but the new build removes it altogether.

“Fear not though, the start button functionality isn’t as dead as it seems,” The Verge reported.

According to the site, the button itself might be absent, but the functions can still be accessed via a ‘hot corner’ designed to work equally well with touch screens or computer mice, The Daily Mail reports.

“We have confirmed with sources close to Microsoft’s Windows 8 development that a hot corner has replaced the Start button orb,” the site said.

Microsoft has not announced a release date for the new operating system, built to work with touchscreens as well as on conventional PCs, but it is widely expected to be released in the second half of 2012.