[The KG9 Kid]

In short, there's no good reason anymore for having a desktop Microsoft Windows PC, even a Windows laptop -- and this is both in the workplace and home environment. The worldwide user base -- both corporate and private -- has already spoken with their wallets and market isn't lying.

If you run a business and you want to continue running on the cheap, the Microsoft Windows solution that you've got right now probably doesn't need upgrading except to replace failed hardware. Next to zero reason to invest in anything that Microsoft is trying to sell, or any other PC hardware manufacturer. Just continue to use your junk pile until it croaks. The sales figures aren't lying here either, now going on several years in this shaky economy.

If you're a common end-user who can't get by anymore with your junky old PC or laptop and are looking to buy something new to replace it, there's better options than a Microsoft Windows machine. This is the only segment of the information tech market that's absolutely going gangbusters and Microsoft isn't even in the game. That's all you need to know.

[EinNYC]

I like having a PC at home to generate documents, surf the internet rapidly, tweak photos and other graphics, etc. Is that what you call a "common end-user"? Laptop screens are too small for me to enjoy for hours of computer use at home. I also don't like the prospect of using the laptop keyboard for prolonged periods. My laptop (a Lenovo thinkpad a couple years old) has Windows 7 as its OS, vs. the XP on my somewhat older Dell PC at home.

What "better options" than a Microsoft Windows machine are you talking about? And would documents generated on my present PC be operable on the "better option?