Microsoft's 5 and 10 year plans are about survival, can't fault them but doesn't mean we have to like the pain and inefficiencies created in Windows metamorphosizing. And I agree with Patrick, for enterprise these shifts in Microsoft's strategy can and will play out differently than the consumer segment, MS is seriously teetering on alienating one of if not their biggest cash cows and ensuring that the tons of businesses stuck on XP become the next decade's businesses stuck on Win7.
I think there's far less interconnectedness between computing platforms than it might seem to the marketing majors sitting in conference rooms in Redmond that have convinced themselves a "unified interface" will achieve synergistic nirvana and a magnetic charisma, that a UI optimized for tablets & mobile forced onto the PC desktop will compel adoption of all Metro skinned products across the board. I don't think it will play out like that, I dont think people will care, these individual products will have to stand or fall on their own individual merits and will not be able to simply skate on the creds of their forefathers.
The future of Windows is in becoming one big steam client where the O/S becomes cheaper and eventually free, with MS focused on making all their money through app/program sales transacted through the Windows Store. Windows 8's relatively low $40 upgrade pricing is an obvious sign of that shift and I wouldn't be surprised if in a year from now an upgrade from ANY version of Windows to Win8 is free, since their shift in strategy means a total dependency on installed base.
