where this sort of microsoft upgrade really hurts is in the industrial controls environment. most of these systems are based on windows.
as the window of hardware availability has moved over the years the computers are getting less and less usable.
you need to set up a system with reliable connections. cant do that any more.
usb connections are great until the system reconfigures port names after a plug vibrates out.
apple will not allow their machines to be used in controls environments.
XP service pack 2 with all the drivers and hardware available was far in away the best interface and computer hardware combination to use.
one of the reasons I dont go back to control systems engineering is the sheer impossibility of getting windows current versions to configure for usable work.
linux mint may prove to be the new boy on the block as far as operating systems go.