What a great idea.  

Brilliant move... also will create a good deal of good will and increase loyalty.

More visibility and talk... they're getting ahead of this curve (or, surface).

Probably because they can't SELL Win8....give-away is the only option...

Thing is. Win 8 including the Metro interface wouldn't be such a bad thing on a tablet.  Metro definitely does not belong on a desktop PC, I'll grant you that, but I reckon it'll be a winner on Microsoft's new 'Surface' tablet PC.  Having played with the tablet I got for Shaunna just recently, albeit an Android version, I can see a place for the Metro interface on such a device.  In fact, I could even be persuaded to purchase a Surface tablet if the price is right.... cos I sure as hell couldn't be coerced, blackmailed or have my arm twisted into getting an iPad.

Speaking of pads, and of iPads specifically, I think I've started something here... and something quite unintentional, I might add.  Shortly after I purchased Shaunna's Android tablet, my mother and sister came for a visit and showed quite a bit of interest in it.  Hmmm, a few days later I get an urgent call from my mother to take a look online at a 10" tablet that she was interested in, on special for $129.00, down from the regular price of $279.00...but we had to hurry as there was "only 23 minutes left"

Anyhow, to cut a long story short, she ended up buying 4 of them, one for herself, one for my sister, one for me/Shaunna... and one for my 'once' iPad loving niece.  Yup, once she saw how much more this 10.2" Android tablet could do over and above her iPad, and for less than a quarter of the price, she simply had to have one.  The iPad is now a "lousy POS" [her words, not mine] and is being sold to one of her yuppy uni friends.  Oh, and guess who else isn't getting the iPhone 5?....  now she's seen a Windows 8 phone demonstration at a science and tech fair.

Exactly. MS was trying to do something which imo really didn't have to be done. I don't see the future of computing in totally mobile devices which depend on a Cloud.

I believe that system is as vulnerable as a totally 'fixed one', only that the consequences of that are more disastrous because of a single, simple reason (which was why the initial wave of personal computing was so successful).

The reason is that you no longer 'own' the apps you use to make managing your life easier. You will require the cloud to process data, simply because the mobile devices lack the 'size'/power and most fundamentally the 'juice' to run for significant amounts of time. Also, you will no longer "own" your data and programs. You will need Internet access in order to have your data available to you.

Add to that a lack of good input devices: MS has a foldable keyboard and tiny mice to input data for the "Surface". The touch surfaces of these devices yield a paradox: To be mobile the have to be small, but the human hand has not shrunk and it it not comfortable to use these devices.

The push to the Cloud is financial. You will have to pay to use the apps, and for the storage. It's all about money and the power of who has the data. If it's breached, who cares? What's your recourse?

Is your data more secure in the Cloud? Is the Cloud more secure than a hard disk and sensible precautions you can take? I think not. I do not wish to surrender control to Cloud personnel because their record is so poor. Also, it's a lot easier to concert an attack on a single target than hundreds of millions.

So... MS needs to be less lazy and offer different OS's to different markets. Car makers do it all the time, so get over it Mr. Ballmer.

Yes...I'm sure if yougave me the right 'tablet' I'd even stomach  Metro....

....the again I simply might not care.....

*@doc gives Jafo a free n.  

Keyboard is being recalcitrant ....

Teach it to "heel"...

I think it's good if you get benefits or gifts in when you did a good job done.It elaborates very  well, I'm also very happy about the gifts or samples I can get through my work... short time ago I had the opportunity through my work to test one cintiq HD to take it home and test it in detail, an absolutely fine move the whole thing ...stuff like that strengthens the motivation of course, particularly if another major marketing hurdle as the pending sale of the version of Windows 8 is close, with presents you motivate employees again. Ich'm convinced that the number of sales will speak for themselves even though many others are a different opinion.
The RTM is already good but like any previous windows number it  will also need a service pack for the matter to refine.
Nevertheless I very much appreciate the retail version to finally set up my new system.
 

Are you advocating the use of 'happy' pills?  Not that I could give one/any away.... it'd leave myself short.

The cloud is really useful for only a limited number of things (synching contacts on multiple devices is a good example).  I would under no circumstances trust the cloud with anything important.

But I'm all for free stuff.

In other shocking news, they used to call it 'dogfooding' (and still do) and have been doing it for over a decade now iirc.