The Verge reports on rumours that Microsoft will make the new (formerly ‘Metro’) interface skippable in the next version of Windows 8. That next version is being referred to as ‘Windows 8.1’ and ‘Windows Blue’, and Microsoft may or may not make it a paid upgrade.

The details are sketchy, but it sounds like users will have a new option to boot straight to the desktop, bypassing the new UI. It’s unclear whether the Start menu will reappear; if it doesn’t, then the usefulness of this new option will be limited. The new UI will probably still rear its ugly head in many circumstances as well.