The thing is that Microsoft is not Apple, and Windows's userbase is not iOS's userbase. Any halfwit could tell you this (and plenty did tell them exactly that,) but Microsoft has got it into their heads that they can just forcibly transmogrify their customer base into entirely different people with different requirements out of a computer by sheer force of will. They keep getting hammered with evidence that this is not the case (see also: the XBone fiasco,) but they've yet to actually take any of that to heart...
has got it into their heads that they can just forcibly transmogrify their customer base
Yet that's exactly what Apple does every time they release a new product and they're successful. People snap up iPads left and right and drone on about how great they are while complaining about all the stuff they can't do with it. Meanwhile Microsoft releases products that solve all those issues and they scoff.
When the iMac was introduced way back when, nobody would have said they wanted an all-in-one computer that comes in a half dozen girly colors. When the mini came out what people really wanted was an affordable mac tower. Apple just released a minature trash can computer when customers have been saying for years that they wanted a balls to the wall beast mac with tons of room to cram hardware into and the latest spec CPU and graphics. For years people dreamed of an Apple tablet on the fanboy forums. Everybody thought it would run OS X and be an open book.
Windows 8 and the Surface tablets was Microsoft's attempt to give the customer what he asked for by listening to the complaints people had about competing products. Surface Pro rectifies all the complaints people had about other tablets. It's actually a pretty nice product, problem is people say they want one thing but turn around and grab something else. RT is kind of lame, but hey, people said they wanted ARM.
Windows's userbase is not iOS's userbase.
They actually are, considering that most iPhone and iPad users are syncing their devices up to Windows computers. This really highlights one important thing about users these days, they have no brand loyalty, especially when it comes to mobile devices. That and mobile operating systems aren't important to average users. Dollar apps are a disposable commodity so folks don't feel like they have an "investment" to protect and the internet of things have brought the price of content down to near zero.
Microsoft's biggest mistake was in trying to give people what they thought they wanted. The latest XBox is a testament to that mentality. How many times have you hear folks bitching about all the crap shoved under their TV and the pile of remotes they have to juggle? So they've created the ultimate in your face, one super ultra mega box to rule them all and dominate your living room with an iron fist. Cameras and mics to monitor your ass 24/7 and apps to manage your fantasy football teams...
