When it comes to attacking Microsoft’s dubious Windows 8 design decisions, ExtremeTech is no stranger. When we first learnt about the Metro interface making the leap to Windows 8, I predicted the death of the PC. When Matthew Murray tried out the Consumer Preview, he threatened to leave Windows for Linux.
When Microsoft killed off the Start button, however, we could see almost no recourse for the average Windows user. Yes, I’ve spent the last two weeks trying to convince you that Windows 8′s new interface, despite being obviously touch-oriented, is actually usable with mouse and keyboard — but at the end of the day, the vast majority of Windows users are not power users.
You and I might know that tapping the Windows key on the keyboard pops up the Start Menu/Screen, but as the video below makes clear, “real people” do not. In the video, Chris Pirillo’s (of Lockergnome fame) dad tries to use Windows 8 for the first time. What follows is an agonizing example of why Microsoft shouldn’t have removed a design element that users have relied on for almost 20 years, since Windows 95.
At this point, of course, I have to wheel out one of my favorite videos: a two-year-old using an iPad for the first time.
It’s not too late for Microsoft to reinstate the Start button!
How real people will use Windows 8 on the desktop (video)
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