The Windows 10 Start Menu from a Mac User’s Perspective

Here’s the thing.

I thought I would absolutely detest the new Windows 10 Start Menu. I imagined the Live Tiles to be a nuisance and fully expected to delete them all after a day or two of using Windows 10. But here’s the kicker: I like it. I really, really like it.

Here’s why:

1. I can check the weather, time, and other news at a glance without having the same information take up precious real-estate on my desktop. The tiles add nice visual cue making it easier to parse information quickly, without being intrusive. And since it’s available from the Start Menu, access is fast.

2. There is less clutter in Windows 10’s Start Menu compared to Windows 7. I prefer the flat, modern-looking Metro aesthetic to the shiny, drop-shadow laden aesthetic of Aero.

3. The location of Settings and Power are immediately visible on the lower left side of the Start Menu. I view this as a welcome change. In short, I find it much easier to find settings with the Start Menu in Windows 10 compared to Windows 7.

On another note, having immediate access to the Search field from within the Task Bar is really handy. Burying Search within the Start menu (like that of Windows 7) never made sense to me. With Windows 10, I feel that Microsoft has done a solid job with the Start menu, and I find myself wishing that there was a similar equivalent on the Mac side.

-Krishna