[Windows 8 General] e.mote:
I see Blue as more about integration of MS services than about Windows. 8.1 is basically same as 8.0 plus a few usability tweaks. You can view it as a "stay the course" for Metro to get traction in an improved environment (better and slightly cheaper hardware, more apps). You can also view it as a temporizing move until Win9. Either way, Win Metro is a 2-yr commitment regardless of success or failure.

The more things change, the more they stay the same: The challenger unseating the incumbent with a cheaper product. Any old dog here remember how MS-DOS got its break? Ignore the urban lore about how Kindall missed the IBM boat. The fact was that MS-DOS was cheaper for IBM to license than CP/M. Cheap wins.

Fast forward to how WordPerfect got sliced by the MS axe. WordPerfect at that time was the business standard, and a single copy costs $400+. That was also a transition period, from DOS to Windows. WordPerfect was late with a Windows version and allowed MS Word a foothold. But the kicker was when MS bundled Word/Excel/PowerPoint into a suite (Office) and sold it for the same price as WordPerfect. Cheap wins.

Fast forward to 5 years ago. Out of nowhere, Android became the world's #1 mobile OS, not because it was better, but because Google gave it away for free, and let vendors have full control on how they want to customize it. Google did to MS what MS did to WordPerfect (among many others). Cheap wins.

Note that in MS' Metro push, "cheap" is not a component. Surface devices are premium-priced, all Win8 hybrids are premium, Office 365 sub is premium, XBox 720 will be premium. The weakness of the incumbent is that it can't let go of its cash cows, its hefty margins, and answer head-on against the challenger. MS can't compete on price.

The conundrum is that neither can it charge a premium (as it's trying to do now), because Metro isn't a finished product, let alone a quality product. Judged on its own merits, Metro isn't on par with Android or iOS, and its eco is also poorer. Then, if priced correctly, Metro devices should be cheaper than Android devices. That won't happen, per said above. Ergo, Metro devices won't sell.

Android spring launch will have the Lenovo S6000 10" (quadcore MTK, 1280x800 IPS) at $250, Acer & Asus low-end 7" at $150, along with other lower-tier vendors. Better toys will come in fall along with 5.0, and it's a safe bet that these (except for Samsung's) will underprice the iPads. It's also safe to bet that they will underprice Windows tablets.

As for reviving the desktop, it's simple: Think of a new use for it. So let's brainstorm: What will make people buy a desktop PC?

Off the cuff, then: Everyday now we hear of this cloud computing doodad. The problem with cloudputing is that everything needs to go through your Internet connection, which can be slow, unreliable, and have small usage cap. Web services are fine for some things (like social), but suck for others. Then, why not a personal cloudputer, where the "desktop" becomes a VMM/file server handling local services for satellite handheld devices. MS can revive the defunct Windows Home Server for the task, and position it for the desktop. It can set up an eco wherein "apps" are naturally services, and the services can be cross-platform serving Android/iOS/Windows devices. Why should DropBox only exist on the Internet, why not on your home network?

Anyway, what's funny is that MS has done this before, shoehorning a desktop UI onto phones (nee WinCE). Now, we get to see it going the other way, shoehorning a phone UI onto desktops. The first didn't end well, and neither will this second.