Why do Windows tablets have a physical Windows button?

[Marute]

As the title says: why do Windows tablets have a physical Windows button on the screen/frame? There is a universal one in the charms bar already and if you flip the tablet to portrait mode they will be exactly next to each other which is just weird. It seems redundant to me.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

Because:
1. It's a hint that it's an actual Windows tablet.
2. It's normally much easier to hit.
3. What will we use as a replacement to CTRL-ALT-DELETE? Win-Power?

 

[broar94]

It's a symbol now

 

[Marute]

Fair just asking. What functionality does it have besides the obvious back to start screen?

 

[Speedygi]

It's like asking why Apple's devices have home buttons....lol

 

[Pete]

It's there so that you can navigate to the home screen immediately from anywhere without having to navigate through screens/charms to find the Windows button on the screen.

Try simply not using it for a session and you'll see how truly annoying it is to have to clunk around the settings to get back to the start screen again.

 

[Sean Stanley]

If you have lots of tiles on home screen, it will take you back to the top without scrolling.

 

[dznk]

It has many uses as stated above, but I believe Microsoft enforce this button on all hardware vendors of Windows tablets.

 

[mattcald]

I use mine all the time to go to the home screen. Just easier to get at than the on-screen icons.

 

[cavocorax]

I just found out today that you can use the windows button and the down volume button to take a screenshot. That's pretty useful if you want to capture a modern app and can't use the snipping tool.

 

[houkoholic]

It's there so that you can navigate to the home screen immediately from anywhere without having to navigate through screens/charms to find the Windows button on the screen.

Try simply not using it for a session and you'll see how truly annoying it is to have to clunk around the settings to get back to the start screen again.

The charms bar's Windows button is better positioned actually and is far from annoying - it's even more intuitive once you've gotten use to it because if you are already gripping the tablet with your right hand 99% of the time it only involves swiping in with your thumb and touch the Windows button in the charms bar in a fluid flow of motion. I haven't used the Windows button for weeks on end now on my Viao Tap 11.

The physical Windows button is for people whom might get confused about swipe gestures - which there are a lot of them because the current tablet boom is defined by iPads so that usage pattern is more familiar to more people. And yes it also serves as a logo to say that this is a Windows tablet.

 

[pseudoware]

The only times I've tapped the Windows button have all been by accident, lol.

Sent from my Surface RT using IE 11

 

[urphonesux]

Simple.... to show you which side of the tablet is the bottom

 

[Agent-P]

I just found out today that you can use the windows button and the down volume button to take a screenshot. That's pretty useful if you want to capture a modern app and can't use the snipping tool.

this is the only thing I ever use my physical Windows button for. Every other time I use the charms bar button.

 

[Ed Boland]

Simple.... to show you which side of the tablet is the bottom

This^^^

 

[Michael Alan Goff]

As others have noted, the button does more than just take you back to the home screen.