I kind-of see where Microsoft is coming from here. Supporting older versions such as XP and Vista is taking up resources that could be better spent elsewhere.
- XP is officially dead and M$ will pretty much ignore you if you're still on that.
- Vista is dying, which is no less than it deserves.
Windows 7 took years to establish a foothold in the corporate world, and businesses are in no hurry to change again so "soon". (Microsoft's definitions of terms like "recent" and "old" are not the same as those used in the corporate world of "change control"!)
For "consumers", on the other hand, it's in M$'s interest to get them on Windows 10. If they do it right, the reasons why people held off from Windows 8 won't be a problem. The new Start menu is a hybrid of old and new: it appears to suit the hunt-and-peck user and the Win 7/8 "Windows key, start typing" method I've gotten used to by now.
I'm waiting to see how they cater for the granny who got a XP PC back in 2005 and only needs it for email with the grandkids and a spot of browsing. It's an "appliance", why should she spend any more time or money on an "upgrade" she never asked for?