I think the "device" is the CPU. There is no way the operating system can tell which box it is in, only which motherboard and processor it is running on.
That means replacing the CPU will be considered a move. I will only be able to replace the CPU once during the life of the OS. For most people this will be no problem. For me, it will suck bigtime.
"That means replacing the CPU will be considered a move. I will only be able to replace the CPU once during the life of the OS. For most people this will be no problem. For me, it will suck bigtime."
Yup, and what happens with Intel ramping up to four core (with AMD in hot pursuit), all with virtual machines. Oh, Vista will hit the fan with it's licensing as that happens.
how about memory upgrades?
Swaping video cards?
I think this it to stop the joe average from tinkering with computers and coming up with the next "apple" in their garage.
Upgrading them probably would, replacing them probably not. When I hear the world "replace" I usually think of something being replaced with an equivalent, such as under warranty repair. I don't think Dell will have to phone Microsoft every time they perform a client repair, nor will home users who install replacements either. If you are building several new systems though, and trying to move a single copy of Windows around between them, that could be a problem.
The CPU is only one factor. It looks at the whole system, and changine enough of it is considered a move.