If you've ever had to buy a computer, you know the hassle of the "bonus" software that comes on there. You get trial software, OEM tools (like HP's Action Center, Dell's top-of-screen dock), icons on your desktop, and other fun stuff. It amounts to clutter, slow boot and shut down times, and inconsistency in the user experience. But the computer manufacturers love it because they bask in the glory of deals, exclusivity, all leading to maybe a couple of bucks of margin per unit sold. Apple wins because you get a computer, with an OS and some useful tools and you're amazed that it "just works." The PC is killing (or has killed) itself with features.
Microsoft is now either making things worse or creating an experience that we can deal with. Apart form offering OEMs Office Starter 2010 (a fresh replacement for MS Works) for $5, but they're willing to slash that price to $2 for the installation of Live Essentials and Bing search bar. The influence will be dependent on how much people will like the new roll out of that software. It will either be ugly or it will finally create some consistency among PCs.
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And that's why I always reinstall the operating system on all my computers and load the minimal drivers!
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