Windows 8 felt a lot like a shotgun wedding. Whether we wanted it or not, we were all forced into the brand-new and definitely-not-our-Start-menu Start screen. In fact,
it wasn't clear how to find the desktop, or even get to the Start screen from the desktop. It was like you were supposed to hold your hands to your forehead and somehow channel instructions from spirit of Steve Ballmer to get anything to work.
For many of us, the Windows 8 Start screen was the symbol of everything Microsoft had done wrong. It upended years of customer experience. It provided no native choice or option. It hid all visual cues. It attempted to force a flawed vision of computing down the throats of its customers.
I am convinced that the mobile revolution and the high uptake of tablets wasn't solely because tablets were the new hotness. I'm convinced that Microsoft's seemingly suicidal effort to collectively piss off all its customers hurried the process along -- and that resulted in
a vastly diminished traditional PC business.
