Even if every Android phone disappeared today, Linux would still be the most widely used OS.
May I remind you that the title of the great article that you chose to start a thread on is “Top 10 Reasons Why Desktop Linux Failed”. Sloanrb could have said, “Because of servers, Android smartphones, tablets and other “smart” devices. Desktop not so much.” Then you would have had no misleading comeback. Linux is not very popular for desktop or laptop computers.
I have installed versions of Linux on many computers over the years. I do not install it on computers for my parents or other people who are not tech savvy. I still use virtual machines with Linux. I do not like the direction Microsoft took with Windows 10 and have made frequent harsh criticisms.
The primary problem with desktop versions of Linux for me has been the availability of software that I use frequently for specific purposes. Just two examples: I have been a photoshop user since version 2.5 came out for Windows in 1992. More recently I have gotten into 3-D Modelling to design devices for my 3-D printer. These days there are photo-editing packages for Linux but none which have all the features that I need. There currently are no good options that I am aware of for 3-D Modelling.
But there is another reason these days that is touched on in the article, but is actually just the tip of the iceberg. “5) Linux video card support is tricky”. It is not just the video drivers... I have a low powered Nextbook Windows 10 miniature laptop / tablet hybrid that I went all out trying to install a version of Linux on. This type of device is generally better suited for Linux than Windows 10.
But the install was basically not even possible and no one else on the forums was successfully able to do it either. There is a lot of other hardware designed for Windows 10 on the market that Linux basically just can not be installed on because of lack of drivers or other reasons that make it extremely difficult to do. On some you can hobble something together without sound, wireless, or proper video drivers, but what is the point of that? Just to prove that you can do it?