Read original post by Tom Warren at The Verge
Microsoft has taken the bold step of removing the traditional Windows Start button from its Windows 8 "Consumer Preview." The Start button and menu were introduced with Windows 95 over 15 years ago, and it appears Microsoft will scrap both of them once Windows 8 is released later this year. Screenshots of a near-final Windows 8 "Consumer Preview" version (build 8220) leaked to the internet this weekend, and show a Super Bar without the Start button orb. In previous test builds Microsoft had flattened the button to match its Metro style interface, and the latest builds go one step further by fully removing the Start button orb.