Wait for Windows Next.
Am I being “too clever”? Saying “nothing”? I beg to differ. You are here reading this post which in turn means that surely you know almost everything, I possibly can tell you on the subject of Windows 8.
So, here is why I think you should wait for Windows Next. They (MSFT) are adopting Google (GOOG) style of releasing often and Windows Next might be out as early as 2013. Of course MSFT might call it Windows 8.1 But most importantly, I think, 8.1 (or whatever rev num they will give it) will *NOT* force desktop + touch Frankenstein, on desktop only customers.
And herein lies the core of the issue: corporate customers are desktop only customers.
And corporate desktop is that “thing” that makes the money. If Windows Next does not happen quick, corporations will simply use W7 desktop for “next 10 years”. And in the mean time have all the time to leisurely choose and switch to some other desktop. Like for example some future GOOG Linux OS, made for America INC. I simply can’t imagine any CIO going for W8 as it is, and promoting it to the board. And I simply can not imagine Steve B. can too. So I think MSFT will simply *not* try to push W8 onto the enterprise desktop.
But wait : non Windows corporate desktop !? How’s that possible ? Relatively easy. Do not forget the next “trick” here: modern desktop is based on HTML5. Even MSFT has adopted that strategy. It is *much* easier than ever before to switch between desktops. Desktop is a browser and browser is a desktop. Even MS Office (MSO release 15 and onwards into the future) had to take that path.
The key problem Microsoft is facing today: how not to make desktop OS (Windows) irrelevant.
Update 13.Aug.2012
It seems that some of my “predictions” are already known, only described in different words. Please see HERE. Indeed there will be what I am calling W8.1. It is only that it seems they will call it “Blue”. But the reasoning behind is (it seems) the same: Sort out W8 and sort it out fast. Corporate customers have no time for WinRT … yet.