There were balloons. There were streamers. There were brand new Ultrabooks, members of staff unfurling banners, and -- once other customers started to arrive -- there was even a vibe of genuine excitement for today's official launch of Windows 8 in the UK. But whichever aisle I scanned, nowhere was to be found what I had come to buy: a Windows 8 disc for desktop upgraders. It was a faltering start, but it was also strangely symbolic of my mission -- namely, to explore what Microsoft's latest operating system can do for regular desktop folk. People who, in other words, aren't yet looking to invest in
