They f'd up 12 days since Microsoft f'd up
Killed 0.9 Vistas Walked back officially acknowledged Oct 26, 2012 their #2 worst kill on record

The Start menu went to the farm upstate

Windows 8 removed the Start menu and the Start button

↳ caused by Windows 8

One of only 22 things they have ever fully walked back.

The market's verdict: +5.9% on MSFT in the week after.

Status: Walked back. Who could have seen this coming?

What actually happened

Windows 8 shipped with no Start menu and not even a Start button. Seventeen years of muscle memory got replaced with a full screen grid of tiles designed for touchscreens that nobody's desktop had. Third party Start menu replacements became a small industry overnight. Windows 8.1 brought back the button, which opened the tiles. Windows 10 brought back the menu. A two version apology.

This one is officially acknowledged.

They did it more than once

Later, again: Windows 11's taskbar: new paint, missing features (Oct 2021)

2012: they removed the Start menu. 2021: they removed the taskbar's features.

Before that: Windows Me shipped on time; nothing else about it did (Sep 2000)

ME made people scared to upgrade; Windows 8 made them scared to click.

Links

↳ caused by Windows 8

Timeline

  • Oct 26, 2012 Announced Microsoft announced it.
  • Oct 17, 2013 Walked back Windows 8.1 brings back the Start button. The menu itself waits for Windows 10.