Apple has built their company on ease of use. They thought usability was more important to the average user than more professional features. Over the past five years, they have turned the Mac into a more professional machine while maintaining that ease of use. Microsoft on the other hand has been building their platform for nerds and professionals from the start. Windows has been built upon its’ extra functionality and control by the users.
Unfortunately, in Windows 8 Microsoft sacrifices this, and ease of use. Windows 8 is lovely at times, but in some sections it suffers from being not that simple. New users will likely have trouble adjusting, and pros will miss their pro features. This is what I have determined based on the consumer preview, and the reaction online. In my opinion, Microsoft can still turn it around before the release, make a few minor changes, and release a great OS. But will they? They have a redeeming chance here. So will this be a great OS, or will it be Vista 2.0? It’s your choice Microsoft.