I think that people just got wise to the fact their bashing the company their lives basically revolve around.
This.
Microsoft isn't a company with arrogant smug bastards in the advertising department, which is nice. I hated the Apple adverts. As far as I'm concerned, the only reason they did that is because they're a small group of elitists, and to be honest, at the end of the advert I still wanted the boring, functional PC over the expensive, fancy mac.
Uh huh. Because little 5 year old girls constantly have opinions enough on computers to associate windows 7 as "Happy Words" without coaching. In fact, I was sitting on the bus next to a little 5 year old girl just the other day and she was harping about how great Windows 7 was...
9 year old boys don't seem to know or care, according to my nephew. Looks like we are in for a world of trouble, with such a disconnect between boys and girls half their age.
My biggest problem with microsoft is, and always will be, their drive for total integration.
If your leg becomes horribly infected that it has to be removed, it should be removable. You shouldn't have to keep it because you'll lose half your heart and a kidney as well if you don't!
IE is targeted because it allows access of magic bullets, due to Microsoft wanting more user friendliness, not because it is the most used. It is the most used because it comes on every single computer and cannot be removed without problems.