Earlier this summer I wrote about moving to a Chromebook -- I'm working from my porch and I want something easily portable. I stated at the time that I was not sure where things would lead when the weather took a turn for the cooler. In previous years I've used a Windows 8.x (or 7) computer, as my office contains two desktops and a laptop running the Microsoft operating system as well.
Don't get me wrong -- I still see a need for the platform, but I simply don't see it for myself. I write in Word, which has a Chrome app. I edit images, which Pixlr handles quite well. Beyond that, I do little else outside of checking email and scouring the web for news.
I certainly understand that not everyone is the same. Some likely need the OS to get by in daily life, and have occasional need for Photoshop, which is the one thing that sends me scampering off to my office. But the need these days is greatly reduced. It's become a specialized use-case scenario, and some of those uses can be carried out with other platforms.
It's unlikely Windows will leave many enterprise environments anytime soon -- that's to be expected. These things change slowly and some necessary software is dedicated to the platform.
I don't code. I don't edit video. I have few real needs, and I'm likely the same as many users. Most purchase more computer than they need, and more headache than they care to deal with. I simply do not need hassles in my life.
Windows 8.1 is a very good operating system (yes, I actually like it). Windows 9, which is now known as Threshold, is exciting and intriguing. I'll try it when it debuts and I'll see what I think, and perhaps it will sway me, though I have severe doubts about that prospect, at least for now.
When the weather makes a turn for the worse, then I shall head back inside, though it won't be back to Windows. We simply aren't compatible anymore -- it's not Microsoft, it's me. Sorry, but we must break up, though I'll see you again for that rare use-case scenario that crops up from time to time.