Operating systems are merely hygeine factors ...

Many people in the IT industry don't realise that operating systems are not important to ordinary folks.  We don't want to be bothered with things that live under the surface of our devices.

This is one of the reasons Apple has made such inroads in recent years, they abstract the complexity away from users so nicely. It is also why Linux is starting to get a bit more traction, they've finally realised most people don't want to fiddle with a command line to install things.

Usability is a critical feature for technology.  Consumers are getting tired of technology that is hard to use.  This feeling is bleeding over into the workplace too. Soon IT departments will find people rebelling against complex and hard to use systems.  Their users will slip away to find SaaS applications that meet their needs and accept montly payments via corporate credit cards. Then what price the current obsession with centralisation and cost reduction my IT friends?