I'd say the article is pretty well on target - I remember anticipating some of the issues when they first came out (What, *Six or Seven* versions? I can't remember all seven DWARVES! Whatever middle manager from marketing hell came up with that idea should have been shot just for suggesting it.)
Some of it could've been anticipated but wasn't their *fault* as such, the "Vista Capable" stuff, WinFS (Which even *I* thought would be really cool) not making the grade, et al. A lot of it was just general 'trickle' effect - after awhile you look at Vista and go "What is it *this* time?"
For me it was the kowtowing to DRM in Vista. When it came time to get a next gen system, Ubuntu was available, did everything I wanted in Vista, with none of the hassle.
Jonnan