I think in 5 years you'll see a resurgence of plain-old-computers. People will still be in the market for tablets, those that never needed a full blown desk/laptop to begin with. However, as more people begin to realize that they're just consumers of these new, handheld "TVs" of the Internet generation my hope is that the demand for boundary-less computing platforms will realize a resurgence. It's sad to see the overall industry being reduced to the world of locked out hardware because of... Software companies. Hypocritical? For sure. But if protecting the business model of a platform by ousting competition is the only way to lock in dominance I feel that's a cheap way to earn your keep. I think some would argue it's just the way things are today. I don't buy that.

I tried to buy a Lenovo sans Windows and they informed me it was not possible. Not possible to not write a bloatware image to a hard drive, of which takes time and energy for Lenovo in the manufacturing process. Really? Don't tell me as a savvy consumer that it's not possible since that is an aggregious lie. Instead tell me that it is not something that within your catalog of product options. At least then it's not a lie.