I may be a MS Registered Partner (of the lowest class), but that gives me no special insight into the decision processes that go on inside Microsoft. Yet, my 40+ years of business experience tells me that what drives Microsoft is not some sort of managerial megalomania. What drives Microsoft is MARKETS.

I would suggest that if us readers / users of Microsoft products were responsible for Microsofts bottom line, and if we had access to the tons and tons of market information that Microsoft has about their own and competing products, and market trends, we'd be more likely to applaud Microsoft for the decisions it has made - especially if our own pay checks were dependent upon Microsofts success.

I think Microsofts vision of Windows Everywhere is spot on - one (familiar) operating system that runs on all our devices. Lets face it. The desktop market is shrinking. Growth is in the mobile markets, and the interface of choice is in touch-screen. If I were heavily invested in Microsoft, I'd be applauding the moves I see them making (which is not to say they haven't made ANY mistakes).

I personally am enjoying learning all the wonderful capabilities of Windows 8, and I have SMB clients that are also learning it on their own (because they bought new laptops with it pre-installed). To date, those clients have not once had to call me with questions on how to do something on it.