Leaked screenshots show new Start menu for Windows 9

REDMOND, Wash., July 14 (UPI) -- Reports suggest that Microsoft is bringing back the much-missed Start menu to Windows 9, after the company faced criticism for omitting the feature.

Screenshots leaked online show a new hybrid Start menu that has design elements from the traditional Start menu as well as the tile design seen in Windows 8. The screenshot also shows an app running within the Start menu. Microsoft has said the new version of Windows, called Modern or Metro, will run apps in individual screens, giving users the option to minimize the Modern experience.

The screenshots were uploaded onto a forum on My Digital LIfe by user DUF_.

There is speculation as to whether the update will be featured on Windows 8.1 or the new OS, Windows 9. While the image does have a Windows 8.1 watermark, many early builds are known to use older names till they are ready for release.

Online forums are also abuzz as to whether the leaked image is authentic or not.

Brad Sams of Neowins, says that a source has confirmed that the image appears to be legitimate. But The Verge's Tom Warren is more skeptical suggesting that the entire image is photoshopped.

But the image does have design similarities to Microsoft's own mockups suggesting that it could be authentic. The update is expected to be released sometime in 2015.