Microsoft refines Windows 8 desktop UI, removes Aero Glass

Microsoft recently announced on its building Windows 8 blog, that it was making last minute tweaks to the Windows 8 desktop UI, which involved dropping the Aero Glass UI introduced back in Windows Vista and adopting a more Metro like theme for Windows 8 which would complement the Metro environment.
Ever since the introduction of Windows 8, experts have complimented Microsoft for the Metro UI, but have also said that the two Metro and Desktop environments feel disjointed, with the users experiencing jarring transitions between the two environments. We concur with this sentiment, as this was the biggest stumbling block in our experience with Windows 8.
Microsoft is flattening the UI edges, eliminating distracting gradients from the desktop UI, but at the same time is also maintaining UI elements from Windows 7 such black text over backgrounds something that goes against the Metro design language so that older users feel at home with the new redesign.
Notably, these design changes will not be reflected in the release preview and will be only reflected in the final release of Windows 8.
While Microsoft wants to promote the Metro environment to further the development of the Windows Run Time application ecosystem, it does not want alienate longtime users who have been using Win32 based applications for the past 25 years.
The Metro UI has been designed to work well on tablets from the ground up, but naysayers argue that the UI does not relate well on a desktop with a keyboard and mouse. On desktops, people will most probably use the desktop environment for the majority of time. Microsoft cannot afford to lose its desktop user base in an attempt to gain a stranglehold on the tablet market.
The success of Windows 8 will be directly related to its success on desktops/Laptops rather than tablets. To further this endeavor, Windows OEMs are developing a number of hybrid laptops which will combine a keyboard and a mouse with a touch screen and any attempt on Microsoft’s part to refine the transition between the two environments will definitely help the OS.