After officially launching Windows 8 and giving a public release date of October 26th for the three available version of the revised desktop and now tablet OS, Microsoft has decided to drop the term “Metro” style from its tiled interface.
The now familiar layout was first introduced with recent versions of the mobile platform Windows Phone and the phrase has since been used to describe the unique display that owners of devices such as the HTC Titan and Nokia Lumia 800 smartphones have been enjoying. Microsoft has now made the call internally and in a statement to developers to ask them to stop using the term ‘ Metro’ to describe the interface when marketing their apps and software – this effective immediately.
Rumours as to why the sudden name drop include legal threats by a German retail company named Metro AG and a dispute between Microsoft and one of its European partner companies. Due to the suddenness of this news Microsoft has not even had time to announce a new name for its trademark styling and for now it will simply be known as ‘Windows 8-style UI’ until an official title is granted in the next few days.
With a finished version of Window 8 now making its way out to manufacturers with a developers copy launching on August 15th the new operating system has inevitably leaked onto online resources and is out there for download unofficially.
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