in Sinofsky's defence - is iPad Pro + iPadOS heading towards achieving the Windows 8 vision...?
The original pitch was that it could work as well as a tablet as a desktop.
It's not there yet - but Apple appear to be heading there, taking solid, incremental steps.
iPad Pro and iPadOS use USB-C, so can dock to become *PHYSICALLY* a full desktop computer (4K monitor; Ethernet; keyboard + mouse; USB devices).
Safari in iPadOS now operates as a desktop browser, rather than a mobile one.
ISTR on average, people spend 40% of their time in a browser. For some, more; for some, less. For example, workers used to live in Outlook; now it's Teams (hugely simplifying). Both are now browser-based (yes, there is Outlook in Microsoft Office; but features and functionality come first to Outlook on the web, and some never make it to Outlook desktop).
So now you have a device that works as a tablet or a desktop, with apps that [have the potential] to work equally well on both.
Apple are proclaiming your next computer is not a computer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09_QxCcBEyU).
Mouse input is getting incrementally better. But not yet perfect. Apps are getting better (https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/can-ipad-pro-replace-macbook-for-photo-editing/). But not yet perfect.
The security landscape is getting worse. The app security model for WIN32 and macOS was never designed for such a hostile security landscape. Mobile app models (secure sandbox; limitations; app store; automated updates; etc) are better suited to this.
Windows desktops used to be managed via something like Configuration Manager (they still are). But classic "Configuration Manager" is now a more-or-less mature product; the newer approach is MDM. Hence Endpoint Manager. A new organisation may equip it's users with Windows computers, but they will likely be "cloud native" - managed entirely via Azure (Azure AD; InTune; Business Store; no VPN to on premises infrastructure). At least, that's what Microsoft believes. Personally, I don't think it's quite there yet, but Microsoft are iterating at breakneck speed to get there.
You can rent a Windows desktop via Windows Virtual Desktop (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/virtual-desktop/) for "everything else, for now".
It's certainly not there yet for everyone. It is there for some. It's getting there for more. It remains permanently elusive for many. But all of that has always applied to every technology, including Windows. So, it's kinda OK...
Maybe Apple's approach goes something like 'an iPad is many young people's first "computer". Once they are "attached" to the platform, they can "trade up" to the Pro edition.'.
An iPad Pro setup is expensive. Eyewateringly expensive! the magic keyboard for iPad Pro alone costs more than an entire entry-level iPad. Personally, the entire iPad Pro setup (iPad Pro + keyboard + pencil + dock + monitor) is way too expensive for me. But if you're an employer paying a high salary for professionals, and they are more productive on an iPad Pro setup than on a Windows or even macOS setup, then perhaps it pays for itself quite quickly.
It's something I'm watching...