Yes, this may be the only 'real' benefit of unity, that MS thought that it was the wave of the future and decided to jump on the bandwagon with w8 (pun intended), user complaints notwithstanding.

The list of computer users who are developers compared to the list of computer users who are not developers has to be something like 0.1%, so, serviscope_minor's comment about being a developer as a refutation of your statements about what general users require turns out to be a great example of the thinking behind what keeps Linux out of the general desktop arena. Show someone a truth that they don't want to see, and you can figuratively watch them put the blinders on. I personally think that there is a lot of hidden feeling that competent Linux users have that makes them not want people to generally use Linux as a desktop. After all, if anyone could use Linux, how 1337 would they be anymore? In any case, I think you hit the nail on the head.