> I doubt anyone at Microsoft is that upset about Windows 8's reception
You are wrong. I mean, I'm sure there are people at Microsoft who don't care. Windows 8 is a failure so far. They need to salvage it.
This teenage attitude of it being "weak" to fix it and "cave" to consumer demands doesn't cut it when you're talking about a multi-billion dollar product completely failing in a publicly traded company. Microsoft has a legal obligation to its investors to fix this problem.
> but I don't see any significant reversal of direction
Again, you're wrong.
They're releasing a patch to add in boot to desktop and reintroduce the start button. The only thing they aren't undoing yet is giving a traditional start menu instead of the start screen.
Consumers have spoken clearly; they don't like or want Windows 8. It doesn't matter if it's better in your opinion. It's a product for the masses. It's a product for Mom & Dad, they need to be able to use it. And that means that abandoning all the established visual dialogue is a stupid mistake.
The lack of sales has shown that, and it's why Microsoft is reversing direction and releasing this patch.
There's a reason this news is being covered in the Financial Times; because investors see lack of Windows 8 sales and they get very unhappy.