What do you think? The case made is compelling...

Agreed, but in a different context. Their new and much anticipated Windows Phone 8 OS leaves too much to be desired. No easy way to migrate if, like everyone else, you've already set your life up with iOS or Google. No integration. Nothing tempting to attract users away from those platforms either. The most popular applications still not available, but it seems as though Microsoft's standard replies are "we have something similar" or "it's coming soon". In our industry, "soon" can mean tomorrow, or next year. I can't sell their products when they can't compare to who they feel they deserve to be on par with. Long way off.

Kekoa, interesting add.

What about their corporate business? There are a lot of big companies out there that are probably just starting to adopt Windows 7 and will need support for a few more years. Think that can keep Microsoft going long enough to ride out all the missed opportunities?

I think that Gruber is right, to a degree, but what he (and the original article) seem to be missing out on is the fact that there will be massive resistance from users if they try to move away from Windows and IT support personnel to something like Linux or OS X.
Imagine how many basic issues an IT department would have to deal with when handling the switch to a non-Windows OS.
But even more importantly, I know plenty of businesspeople/office workers who know how to use their computer how to get work done and nothing else. They've spent 20 years learning how to use Windows just the way they need to and now they have to start all over again? I don't think that would go over too well.

Here's a great article which speaks to the failures Microsoft has set itself up for in the business and consumer markets. Enjoy.

The category that Microsoft had a grasp on was the PC market, and Windows 7 was dominating. However, Windows 8 has not had the massive impact Microsoft hoped, and thanks to other devices such as the iPad, the PC market is shrinking anyway. The diminishing nature of their most important market, coupled with the poor sales figures of Windows 8 could spell trouble for Microsoft in the next few years.

Joshua brings up a great point about the inertia sometimes present in large IT organizations and corporate departments.

I can sympathize with reluctance to change because when I made the switch from MS Office 2003 to 2007 it took me a few weeks to get comfortable with the new UI and get my productivity back to normal levels.

Joshua's point raises some interesting questions:

1. Have IT departments learned enough about multi-platform support from the bring-your-own-device mobile trend to offset the challenges of a fully multi-OS workplace?

2. Are there adequate solutions in a multi-OS ecosystem to the read/write everywhere problem that MS Excel, PowerPoint, Word have solved for the past decade plus?

3. What is the Windows alternative for corporations? Mac OS X doesn't seem viable (vendor lock-in, limited hardware supply, need to learn objective-c). Do corporations go to Linux? HTML5? Is there some next-gen OS I don't know about?

And one more...

4. Are corporate customers alone enough to sustain Microsoft? What we've seen with IBM seems to suggest the answer is maybe. IBM hasn't been a consumer brand for a long time, yet continues as a company.