I honestly can say I have no idea what the issue with the tablet interface is, or that people were that reliant on their start menus. I never use that screen for anything. If I do need to hop into the 'start' menu I just type a few letters of what I'm looking for and away I go. Is typing that big of a dealbreaker?
Hardcore Diablo 1/2/3/4 & Retail/Classic WoW adventurer.