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the confusion and distress starts with assuming its "your own pc". for at least a decade now the winning and profitable design pattern wants user devices turning into thin clients. the chromebook-ification of computing if you wish, or its X-terminalization [0] for somewhat older people

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_terminal

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Windows is my offline desktop OS. I keep it around specifically because i want it to be that way. I'm fine with a locked down Android phone, as that is a different use-case. Microsoft already failed with its locked-down ARM Windows version once. If the users wanted such an Windows OS, it would have not failed.

But if my client is thin, why would I buy hardware?

I.e. this runs counter to hardware makers goals.

they switch towards selling hardware to datacenters

Assuming they all can. Still, that presupposed we will be able to connect to the datacenters in the future.

to be honest I suspect everybody (including Microsoft) got wrong-footed by the mobile explosion. this redefined what personal computing means by placing simpler devices in the hands of billions.

maybe its just a matter of time before the pendulum swings back and we get really cool hardware repatriated to homes / desktops offering features that would be suboptimal in a thin client setup (due to latency, privacy etc)

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