Windows 8 is set to launch with the loss of a feature which has defined it from inception – the start menu.

The latest version of the operating system has ditched the familiar Launchpad entirely, opting instead for a ‘hot corner’ which provides equivalent functionality that is better suited to both touchscreen and mouse control.

It comes as Microsoft radically rejigs its flagship operating system to take cognisance of the rapidly developing market for tablet and smartphone computing –the latter of which recently overtook desktop PCs in terms of annual sales.

This will supplant clunky buttons for finger swipes and an interface that is better integrated with cloud based information storage systems, such as Microsoft’s own Skydrive.