Microsoft rebrands Windows 8 Metro interface as Modern UI

Microsoft appears to have renamed the live tile system in use on its Windows 8 operating system to Modern UI after it had to stop using the term Metro due to legal threats from a German firm of the same name.

Microsoft had claimed that the use of the Metro name was never permanent but merely a code name, although it had become widely-used throughout the technology community to refer to the design of Windows 8.

However, in a registration page for a Windows 8 DevCamp event the firm uses the term Modern UI to refer to the system, suggesting this is the new name for the platform.

"Join this session to learn about the new platform for building Modern UI-style applications," the event page says.

"You'll get a deeper understanding of the platform design tenets, the programming language choices, and integration points with the operating system and across Modern UI-style apps."

V3 contacted Microsoft for confirmation of the new term but had received no reply at time of publication.

Windows 8 is set to be available from 26 October, at the same time as the firm's own brand Surface tablet, as the Redmond giant hopes its overhaul to the long-standing Windows operating system will prove enticing to businesses and consumers.