I do not agree to that - not in this context at least. The issue here is that Linux, in all its incarnations, is gaining traction. For most people, the OS does not matter. The applications available for that particular OS does. That is why Microsoft is still alive despite numerous fiascos - for many people Microsoft Office is the entire reason for having a computer, and that runs best (and cheapest) on Windows.
Where am I going with this? I forgot, and need to go back to work.
The specific context was the desktop(1%-2% share) which is GNU/Linux. Otherwise, I somewhat agree with you. I think people are realizing they don't need MS. They thought they did, and then found they made out just fine not using MS software. Linux the kernel either dominates, or is a strong competitor on every platform aside the desktop, but that doesn't necessarily gain desktop users.
There's a disconnect in people's minds which is placed there by the companies to further their bottom lines. Phones/tablets=appliances, while desktop=computer. That's incorrect. They're all computers, and people need to be taught that, so they demand the same(and more) rights on their portables they get on their desktops.
I kind of lost my train of thought too, but I think it's on path of SteamOS will help reinforce the notion that MS isn't needed, and being a more house-centric platform will maybe lead to greater use on general purpose computers.