It wasn't even back-pedaling, just word soup. They never claimed ownership, just a license to use them as they wished, and their later statement never went back on THAT.

We need to either drastically lower the hours for 'full time' work, while increasing wages to compensate, or stop being afraid of welfare and accept that everyone doesn't have to be employed, but still guaranteed housing, healthcare, and living expenses. The only other option is the one we're currently going down, which is that of some kind of sci fi dystopian corporate future with massive slums/even greater prison population (maybe they'll just start merging them). The other options will never fly because people are petty and will complain about someone not having to work as much as them.

Full employment, with a living wage is just not possible anymore.

*backwards compatible, not comparable.

Oh absolutely, but i think going forward, as we get at the very least the windows 9 generation, all those people who don't need the high power desktops can switch to something that replaces the desktop as a stationary device (though some docking system would still be stationary to a degree). You're very probably right though, considering the amount of people who already replace their desktops with just a laptop, and thats been trending for years.

The more i think of it, I think you're mostly right. Win8 x86 (and future versions) as tablets with things like the touch cover, will fully replace laptops for good, and the desktop market will probably shrink a little bit more to the people who only use a laptop (or tablet if it goes that way).

Honestly, I think a full function, completely backwards comparable OS, with a made for touch interface on top of it. Is going to be the first real 'Killer App' (or in this case, killer function) of tablets. Theres not a QUESTION in my mind that this is where apple wants to head, and probably already has a road map to unify for years now.

I know this goes against the prevailing wisdom, and i'm pretty indifferent to the systems (I have an android phone, ipad, and windows 7 pc), but I honestly think Microsoft is going to clean up big time with windows 8, and going forward with future versions. Sure the surface might not do much, and RT might crash and burn with the new intel powered windows 8 tablets, but microsoft as a whole seems poised to make terrific gains. Watching some of the videos of these forthcoming win 8 intel tablets, I can't help but see a situation where tablets really *can* replace a desktop, or laptop. A docking station, a hdmi port, and you've got your desktop with standard windows, running all your legacy apps you're used to, that you can pick up and go sit on the couch with. The way I see people switching over to the desktop mode in any videos (which is ugly and wonky on a touch screen device no doubt) from the metro side, seems a lot a sort of 'command line' mode for people who grew up on only GUI systems.

So yeah, I think RT will flop, but i think microsoft, being the first to truly integrate a full complete desktop experience without limitations, and a very useable touchscreen experience, will swoop in, at least by windows 9 and capture the lions share of the tablet market. Is that such a stretch? They're already getting started leveraging that 90% stake on the desktop that everyone and their grandmother is used to, to the tablet market. ...And they are the only ones. Every other tablet is supplemental, supplemental to your laptop, or desktop, because you *cant* do everything yet on them, they're still media consuming devices with strict limitations. But windows 8 (and forward) on intel CAN be that replacement.

Heck I know how fucking shilly towards microsoft all that sounds, but if i had to put money down, thats what I can see happening. It just makes sense.

Every time i watch the news, I feel The Handmaid's Tale should be added to that list...

If you can't remember your log in information, or the answer to you security questions, why SHOULD they make any changes to the account or membership? If you remember your passwords and the information you would need in the FIRST place to even cancel it by the website, you would have been able to reset your security questions. Why in gods name do you think its a good idea to be able to call up, ask to cancel an account, and if you don't have the information to access it still get to cancel it??? Gee that would never get abused e_e I was actually one of the monkeys at xbox live that you would have gotten on the phone a couple years ago, if you wanted to cancel- so I can definitely say they do some shaaaaaddddddey fucking shit, no question about it (such as changing the refund period from 60 to 30 days, effectively making it so you could have potentially one day between being notified it would bill and being unable to refund, depending on your bill date). But what your describing should actually speak positively of their security.

I honestly though the summary was overblown and a case of overzealous apple hate from slashdot, but watching those ads was... wow, I literally cringed, they were just so unexpectedly awful. Like, they would be awful for microsoft, who've never had good ads, but for apple? Fuck, they're so *bizarrely* awful that it really does raise an eyebrow.

Complicate with shutter glasses? No see, it will be easy, once you've bought enough pairs of glasses (only 59.99 act now!) for every possible amount of people that might want to sit around and casually watch tv, plus a few extra for all the ones that will get lost (only 59.99, act now!), then all you have to do is make sure every time someone wanders into the tv room to watch for a little bit they have the glasses handy. What could be easier!?

Don't they know that disparaging the Boot is a bootable offense?