[tracker1]

I don't know that you could make that argument today... if you look at PC sales overall, combined with the amount of developer mindshare in terms of Linux and OSX, and those not upgrading to the latest windows, combined with phones, tablets, etc... it's not what it used to be.

Although I don't necessarily agree with it, I do believe that these decisions are probably less about locking and more about delivering the best user experience possible. I use OSX more these days (rMBP for work, and personal laptops) and Ubuntu/Unity (htpc) more than my Windows 10 pro desktop, and on that I've disabled Cortana. and use Chrome as my main browser.

Although it's good to be skeptical, I don't think there's much conspiracy here.