Summing up the first three post, Microsoft can afford to experiment with Windows 8, it has time. It can mess things a bit but really there are not all that many options out there. The hardware we have seen locally, traditional laptop designs don't seem to be all that compelling and the newer devices designed around Windows 8 we looked at in part 3 of this post, are looking a bit expensive.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. You are looking at Windows 8 with traditional software designed for a mouse or trackpad, and phone apps migrated to a laptop or desktop. But once touchscreen on the laptop becomes the standard, than you will see a whole new line of interesting software designed around the new interface. Your word processor and spreadsheet will still look the same, but the way you manipulate powerpoint will change. Instructional software with 3D models will allow you to interact with virtually rendered devices more like the way you interact with objects in the real world. Game developers will be able to build around the touchscreen. The touchscreen is nothing new, but it has never been coupled with this much processing and graphics power before.
That will take some time as software developers wont start optimizing their applications until there are a substantial number of these new touch personal computers out there, but once there are, software developers will find a way to make use of the new interface. Venture Beat covered Ubisoft's R.U.S.E., which gives you an idea the potential of this kind of technology.
So, its not all gloom and doom for Microsoft. While the need for Windows 8 and hardware designed around it looks questionable right now, change brings innovation, and whether Windows 8 will be a success or not, it is the first step in a different direction. This is never a bad thing.
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