I find this to be so silly. If someone sorely missed the start menu, why just not you pin the apps you would always use to the start bar. There is no start menu in OSX I don't hear Apple fans complaining about this, but the same people spread rumors and complain about Windows 8 even though they don't use it.
lol. I helped setup a Lenovo desktop a while back for a friend. That thing came with a bunch of junk apps preinstalled. Sounds about right for Lenovo. Thankfully, its all removable.