Wavelet, I'd be happy to keep discussing Linux vs. Microsoft with you, but I think it is off-topic here.
My purpose for mentioning Linux in an earlier comment was to justify my perspective on Rob Enderle's objectivity in general, not to start a discussion here of Linux vs. Microsoft.
To clarify my main point in the earlier comment: I don't believe that Rob Enderle should be relied on as an analyst when he comments on the plans of one of his clients. In my opinion, he is being an advocate in those cases. (I base my opinion on my experience reading his comments on Linux vs. Microsoft issues.)
Thus, I discount Rob Enderle's derisive comments on Apple's iPod that barge quoted in an earlier post. I believe that iPod's success indicates that many consumers want to obtain permanent access to certain music, rather than ongoing rental.
I believe that several business models are going to be tried, that different models will appeal to different consumers, and that no one model will crowd out all the rest in the next few years. The relative appeal of the different business models (e.g., own, rent, rent-to-own, etc.) to consumers in general is unclear to me.
