I can definitely agree that the first initial step of getting Windows 8 was a big change even for me. I'm a computer guy, and even with the release of the Win 8 Beta running on my primary desktop it took me a week or so to get acclimated to how things were set up. For instance, having to shut down your computer differently. It's a small thing, but change where that's located and people freak out!
However, with the release of Windows 8.1, which is a free update for any Windows 8 computer, pretty much every complaint or suggestion that was made about the operating system and it's difficulty navigating was addressed. People didn't like the hidden charms bars on the sides? Fine, you can disable those if you wish. Don't like your computer booting up into the Windows Start screen? Two clicks and you can instead now boot to your desktop. Having a hard time finding how to get to the Start screen? Well it's placed in three areas (including your keyboard) but we'll also include an actual start button you can click on now to make it clear.
These "fixes" alone make the operating system so much more functional. Add to that the huge list of additional features that are included with Windows to fit a HUGE possible market and need (including Storage Spaces, one of the best touchscreen systems currently available, a growing application market for simple one-click downloads and installs of all kinds of utilities, and even integrating enterprise features such as file version history and Hyper-V) and you have something that Windows 7 just can't do. Granted, 95% of the consumer market are not going to need most of those features, but it's still features that Windows 7 can't even do.
I believe that into the future Microsoft has the right idea for, as the catch phrase seems to go, "One OS to rule them all." After all, it's easier for people to pick up and work with technology in one way and apply that across all their devices then having to learn one OS and their programs for their computer, a whole different OS and interface and applications for their phones, another for their media players, etc. As everything becomes more interconnected, one interface for everything that is similar is obviously the easiest way for people to pick up and utilize your products. It's just a huge step that consumers I don't think were quite yet ready for or expecting. Microsoft is working to narrow the field between computers and "other devices" and we will continue to see this shift not only from Microsoft but also look at what Apple has done with their products, same as Google and the Android platform. The only thing that keeps these devices and our computers separate right now is how we actually interact with them. If every phone had a keyboard and mouse connected to it, we'd probably be utilizing an interface much more like Windows 7 than what we see with Windows 8. Likewise, the computer will continue to adapt interface features from mobile devices as we use more and more of our phones for everyday tasks.
