This kind of behavior is to be expected from a monopoly. And I understand where you're coming from about that sweet spot between restricted Apple hardware and t

This kind of behavior is to be expected from a monopoly. And I understand where you're coming from about that sweet spot between restricted Apple hardware and troubleshooting Linux drivers. Windows may not be an absolute monopoly, but they're effectively close enough that they can make user hostile moves and their customers have no choice but to go along. Microsoft under Nadella currently seems to be under the most competent leadership of the major tech companies. Apple under Cook is okay as long as they don't try to innovate too quickly, and Google under Pichai is a bonfire of wasted engineering capacity. Microsoft has a very good sense of how much leverage they can get out of their existing desktop and corporate enterprise compute markets to push into other markets. They will make use of this leverage. So don't expect Windows to be any better than it has to be, to keep other potential options at bay.