Isn't it a little ironic that they don't matter to the "elites" and "geeks" and then this article was in Vanity Fair? There is another aspect of bubble bursts, there is a point in which every sort of starts to expect it. I'm of the belief that once there is some critical mass of burst acceptance, it's an inevitability.
MS isn't going away (like they tried to do to so many of their competitors) but it may never be the same again. I don't see how Windows 8 can be a big enough win to be what they need it to be; they have set the benchmark as windows everywhere, not a plurality of windows. Really, the interesting question is what does Ballmer's successor do to shake it up and get the ship back on track. He could reset "normal." He could spin some stuff out (internet and games could/should be on their own.)
MS isn't going away (like they tried to do to so many of their competitors) but it may never be the same again. I don't see how Windows 8 can be a big enough win to be what they need it to be; they have set the benchmark as windows everywhere, not a plurality of windows. Really, the interesting question is what does Ballmer's successor do to shake it up and get the ship back on track. He could reset "normal." He could spin some stuff out (internet and games could/should be on their own.)