The Start button won't be coming back, no matter how much detractors of Windows 8's new user interface would like it to. But to make the new operating system easier to understand for mouse and keyboard users, it will contain a tutorial to explain how things work.
Investment firm Nomura has hosted a series of meetings with Tami Reller, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of the Windows and Windows Live division, to talk about what's coming up for Microsoft's next operating system.
In these meetings, Reller discussed the concerns that reviewers have raised about the Windows 8 interface: in particular, the lack of familiarity that the interface will have, and the worry that it will be confusing for mouse users. Windows 8 removes the Start button and instead depends on hot corners for essential functionality, and in the current beta there is little to tell users what to do.
According to Nomura, Reller confirmed that the Start button will remain gone, but that the discoverability problem will be addressed through a tutorial for users, so that when they first run the operating system they will be guided through the new interactions.
A tutorial won't solve every concern that people have about the new interface—for example, the very different look-and-feel between the desktop and Metro—but it could go a long way towards ensuring that new users don't get stuck.