An example I want to throw out there that the PC industry will move forward is with vista. When it came out, literally, very few mainstream PCs other than high end ones were able to run vista when it came out. Trying to run it on a single core processor with a gig of RAM was nothing more than an exercise of cursing and S&M. Just wasn't going to happen. Then something happened, the PC industry started building new vista PCs (after about a year or so, as the initial ones were mainly xp designed machines with some more RAM or subtle changes to "run" vista) with dual core processors that were 64 bit capable (some were running 32 bit vista to maintain current device compatibility) and three or four gigs of RAM with a reasonable 250+ hard drive in it. Fully suited and certified to properly run vista to an extent that wasn't too unbearable. The hardware was adapted for the software Microsoft released. Granted, it still sucked and still had a small marketshare and to this day, I think Windows 8 is nearing the next milestone of surpassing vista's current marketshare.
Now today, the PC industry is obviously in some issue. Obviously very few people buy desktops other than the enterprise and the people who are PC competent enough to build one of their own. The PC today is not a desktop, it is a laptop. That is a PC. Go to ANY tech department in any retail store physical or online, the laptop is the forefront of the PC market. Those laptops by the way, have usually a dual core processor if not more, with at least four gigs of RAM, as that was vista's legacy. But Windows 8 doesn't need that over the top hardware, it can run on very little. It does prefer the use of touch, through a touchpad or touch screen. The industry has partly adapted to that with laptops having touchpads that have all the seven touch gestures of Windows 8 if not more. Some PCs are basically updated versions of Windows 7 models, and therefore aren't ideal for Windows 8 as their touchpads aren't up to par for edge gestures.
As we have seen, Windows 8 is touch centric, Windows Blue is expanding on that. That's the fact. That's the momentum. As Windows 8 becomes more and more touch centric, the PC industry will have to adapt. They will in fact make laptops in touchscreens on them. They will in fact be producing new tablet PCs, the NEW PC, with better processing hardware, not just wattage constrained hardware designed for tablets. There is a saying I just recently heard, if a company internally isn't a reflection of the outside change in the world, it's not doing well. If Microsoft were to keep Windows designed solely for a mouse, it would become VERY irrelevant in the eyes of the consumer. Think Blackberry. If Microsoft were to have made a better Windows 7 for those who wanted it and Windows 8 for the touch PCs; it would be mac os and ios. Over time, Windows 8 and touch PCs will outnumber the Windows 7 and mouse enabled PCs, leaving those users in a small niche of the market developers don't develop for, but develop for the Windows touch PCs. Microsoft will just add small updates to Windows 7 to keep a small user base intact, but the future and present will be around the Windows touch PC. It could get to the point where Microsoft decides to just merge the two finally as the PC hardware will be fully touch centric and little mouse usage. But they didn't, seeing as they probably observed apple in how they went the mac os and ios route only to have them slowly but surely merge. In retrospect, that would had been pointless.
