When Microsoft (News - Alert) unveiled Windows 8 late last year, reactions ranged from excitement to disappointment. After all, Windows 8 is quite a departure from previous versions of the company's ubiquitous desktop OS, as it places a heavy emphasis on its new "Modern UI" Start Screen interface. Users could still access the classic desktop, of course, but the changes were just too much for some.

Microsoft has made it clear that the Start Screen is here to stay, but it has apparently retooled some aspects of Windows 8 in its now confirmed upcoming Windows 8.1 update, formerly known as "Windows Blue," in order to appease critics.

The change most people are talking about is the revival of the Start button, which will once again take its place in the lower left-hand corner of the desktop. In Windows 8 currently, simply clicking — or touching on a tablet or touchscreen monitor — that bottom-left corner will take users to the Start Screen.

However, those hoping for a Start Menu revival as well can keep on hoping: clicking on the Start button still accesses the new Start menu and its live tiles. Windows 8.1 does bring some updates to this aspect of the OS, however, with new tile sizes and overall easier tile management.

Furthermore, newly downloaded apps will no longer appear on the Start Screen by default, instead appearing in a new app view.

In terms of the apps themselves, Microsoft has updated Windows 8's global search function to search Bing, while the Music and Photos apps have been redesigned. The Snap feature, which allows two Modern UI apps to be viewed simultaneously on the same screen, will also feature window resizing, allowing up to three apps to be run side by side.

Of course, a major Windows update usually means a new version of Internet Explorer and that is indeed the case with Windows 8.1. IE11 on the Modern UI side boasts general speed improvements, as well as the option to make the status bar and tabs always visible.