However, I also agree with you on the apps. On a laptop, I haven't once used a Windows 8 app for anything (other than the weather app once or twice to try). First, the apps take awhile to start. Secondly, they are unintuitive on a laptop. Third, the ads. Why are there ads in the apps made by microsoft? Customers aren't going to like seeing ads in a OS they just paid for.

Also, navigation between Metro apps and desktop apps is somewhat confusing. Mousing over the top-left corner seems to only show your last used application unless you awkwardly swipe your mouse downwards. The only easy to use app switcher seems to be alt+tab.

Overall, Windows 8 isn't bad at all. But it is somewhat confusing. And if it seems confusing to people who use technology all the time, will it make any sense to those less tech-savy users? I don't think it will, but we'll have to see.

Real touch screen support and an app store.

I know that it may seem like not much given that it's focused in the Metro UI, but I think it can be a lot bigger than many here suspect.

I've already had a friend ask me about the Sony Vaio Tap 20. A 20" all-in-one that has a battery so you can take it to the kitchen or coffee table. All for $900.

Windows 8 gives you the ability to have the desktop experience, which is at least as good as Win7. But also to have a first class touch experience on the same device.

It fixes the problem I have of taking a tablet and a laptop on travel. I need my laptop for work, but the tablet for everything else.

Right now it may seem like a contrived example. I think in a year Apple will be doing the same thing. And in 18 months we'll have trouble imagining why this was at all controversial.

I think we're in the same state we were in a month before the iPad shipped. Will we really like a giant sized iPhone (as it was positioned at the time)? No one really knew. I think it's fair to say that it was mischaracterized, and people really do like it.

Interestingly, even the Verge (who typically skew anti-MS, but fairly even) seem to really like the experience thus far (with some reservations).

Ask me this question in a month or two after I get some actual touch screens. :-)

But when a laptop or a tablet is being used, a touch is very natural because the screen is at the right distance and more importantly at a "right" angle. In fact it is way more convenient to use a touch based laptop instead of a tablet because of the angle the screen is at and the arm rest that the keyboard provides. Try it out yourself. I have RC running on my old hp and it is pleasant to use

Also, XP had an uncommonly long life due to the "security crackdown" imposed by Gates. Microsoft decided to release a more refined product (XPsp2) rather than more experimental offerings, in order to shore up their much-maligned approach to security. This meant that software vendors could spend more time on a stable platform, resulting in a better overall experience for IT personnel as well as final users. And of course, its release coincided with the Golden Age of personal computers, which became even more "personal" when laptop replaced desktops.

XP was given more time and chances to succeed than any other Microsoft OS, so it's hard to compare it with anything else.