Microsoft Windows 10 update: New design ditches several classic features for cleaner look

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Microsoft is preparing a new user interface for Windows 10, and a leaked screenshot has shown just how different to the current version it could look.

The image, posted online by Twitter user Tom Hounsell, shows off a number of small but significant changes to the taskbar and open windows.

The new-look Groove app shows that Microsoft is considering ditching both window borders and the title bar.

The minimise, restore/maximise and close buttons have been incorporated into the window itself, and content now extends right to the edge.

It’s undoubtedly a cleaner, more modern look, but also one that will likely take some getting used to, especially when it comes to resizing windows.

The taskbar, meanwhile, appears to have been stripped of all colour.

It looks like app icons will appear black by default, but have their regular colours restored when they’re running.

Known internally as Project Neon, Microsoft plans to unveil Windows 10’s new look in an update later this year.

Microsoft is no stranger to controversial design decisions.

The company’s drastic Metro-tile Windows 8 UI that was introduced back in 2012 received mixed feedback, with the layout proving popular with touchscreen users but clumsy and unintuitive for traditional computer users.