One of the most commonly heard complaints about the new Windows 8 operating system from Microsoft is that it has done away with the iconic "Start Menu" that played such a key role in the functionality of previous versions of the operating system. Although a similar Start Button will return to the upcoming Windows 8.1 update, it's not good enough and not soon enough for Lenovo Group, which is adding its own version of the Start Menu to all it's upcoming devices.

The world's biggest PC maker will pre-install SweetLabs' Pokki software. This will provide a Start Menu similar to the one on Windows 7 and below. All Lenovo bundled with the Pokki will hit store shelves over the course of the next several weeks, beginning with English-speaking countries and eventually to all other markets where it sells computers across the globe.

According to Bloomberg, SweetLabs has been distributing the software on its own through its website. Since that time, more than three million Windows 8 users have downloaded it and the average one opens it ten times a day.

When Windows 8.1 comes out, the big news would be that it would bring back the Start Button. However, this does not open a dedicated list of applications and programs like the previous Start Menu. Instead, the Start Button will simply act as a shortcut to the tile menu Windows 8 is trying to make popular amongst its users. The tiles are optimized for tablets and smartphones but also work with traditional desktops and laptops. In this way, Windows hopes to bring uniformity to all of its devices.

As soon as details about Windows 8 not having a Start Menu leaked out, SweetLabs immediately got to work on its alternative. The startup, backed by Intel Capital and Google Ventures, was ready to release Pokki when Windows 8 debuted in October.