PC companies no longer innovate because they're not allowed to. Compatibility is king, which means Microsoft—not Dell or HP—defines what PCs can and cannot do. Don't believe me? Then you've never been to a WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference) where Microsoft, a software vendor, lectures hardware makers on exactly how to design their PCs. The message is that if you don't do it Redmond's way, then you can forget about running Windows. If you don't think that PCs have become a pure commodity, shop for a desktop or laptop and compare specs—they're all as indistinguishable as an '80s boy band. ...
Source: RedmondMAG.com (the independent voice of the Microsoft Community)