Sensible words from Strollin
I believe one of the principal reasons for making it a standalone OS/update, is that several items in the kernel were rewritten. A slim decision, perhaps.
I have, personally, yet to find anything seriously wrong with Windows 8. With that in mind, the only appeasement I find, for present users of 8, is the fact that it can be customised to go direct to the legacy desktop. Very few of the other "improvements", are apparent. The "changes" to the "Metro" desktop, are minimal but, I must admit, welcome, in whatever little they offer.
I understand that one thing, which could be ready for the RTM release, is an Office Metro application. Good for Office users? Certainly a drive of users further towards the use of the modern screen.
As strollin remarks, the reviewer spends a great deal of time commenting on App changes. Maybe he found, as I have done, that in the main, these are the only visible differences. If present users of 8 are expecting a return to the familiar, forget it. MS have attempted to appease one complaint, the mandatory opening of the Metro screen as a desktop. This is now optional but Microsoft have apparently drawn the line there. No mind shattering improvements in the legacy desktop usage. Hence the reviewers focus on the modern desktop.
Mikes question. "fair or unfair". Too much emphasis on criticism of what has, or has not, been achieved. Too little focus on one or two of the (minor) improvements.
From my own point of view, I have been using modernmix since the earlier days of Windows 8. I boot direct to the legacy desktop. I use the modern screen as my start menu. I have no use for the , now, integrated and synced skydrive does not excite me- I don't use it. So I am not, Im afraid, overwhelmed at the prospect of obtaining Windows 8.1