Microsoft may have renamed Metro but won’t let you switch it off, Surface 2 in the pipeline

Microsoft has removed the ability to switch off its new tablet-optimised Windows 8 and Windows RT interface, formerly known as “Metro”, according to reports.

In previous test versions of the new Windows 8 and Windows RT operating systems, users were given the option of setting the system to automatically load a version of Microsoft’s older Explorer interface, used by the company since Windows 95.

However, NetworkWorld reports that in a leaked final version of Windows 8, the option to load Explorer by default has been removed. Microsoft has since confirmed that it has removed the ability to bypass the interface formerly known as Metro.

As recently reported on SmartCompany, Microsoft has decided to dump the “Metro” brand for its new interface, temporarily renaming it the “Windows 8 style” interface until a new brand name can be found.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has already begun hiring staff, including developers, industrial designers, materials experts and engineers to work on a successor to its yet-to-be-released Surface tablet.

Reports of work on a “Surface 2” tablet come despite hardware partners such as Acer recently threatening to abandon Windows after Microsoft decided to begin releasing its own hardware.