We met Microsoft's Windows Product Manager Ian Moulster away from the show floor at the recent UK
Gadget Show to get an update on how things are going with the OS. The change in tone from previous Windows 8 briefings we've experienced was marked. Gone were the big messages about the Windows 8 Start screen and Windows 8-style apps. The atmosphere was more introspective - has the Start screen been over-emphasised?
"I've changed my pitch - I hate saying it's my pitch - from starting with the Start screen to starting with the Windows desktop when I talk to people about Windows 8," considered Moulster. "When you show them the desktop it looks like Windows 7 and in fact it is pretty much like Windows 7 except that it's faster, it's more secure, uses less power, starts up quicker and has interface tweaks across the board.
Moulster talked about how this "desktop first" approach may speak more to those migrating from Windows 7, with Microsoft possibly shifting the focus away from the new world of the Start screen at first. "To me that resonates more with certain people who are coming from a Windows 7 background so I'm just wondering whether emphasising the Start screen to everyone might not be the right way to do it for us and others too.