Blahhh. Interesting to see all this backlash against windows 8 through the interwebz but it doesn't seem MS has really responded to it. That's why I think this is a conversion method. A way to convert everyone to windows 9 when it arrives. Like vista shook the ground and then windows 7 calmed the storm.
I really hope, whatever MS's tactics may be, that the core elements of what makes the windows operating system so great aren't lost through this transition. We strive for customization while maintaining a stable system. As other operating systems become more open and customizable like windows they become more popular. Basically, but modestly, other operating systems model themselves from windows core idea. (I'm not saying "copy", I'm saying "model", as in influence for the better.)
Take android for example. As android grew and matured it ultimately became more customizable and stable. You can do so much more with android now then you can back when it was first released on the G1. The core element being the "freedom" that the operating system gives in content and overall user choices. Windows has had this freedom for so long, and is what makes windows so great. But 8 seems like a step backwards in this regard.
Either way it makes me feel uneasy. I don't like the direction that windows 8 is taking the operating system. But that's just my opinion.