This is an interesting commentary from Marco Arment. One thing that rang particularly true was this statement:

“That’s why that PC on your banker’s desk is probably running Windows 2000, an 11-year-old platform: because it’s extraordinarily expensive to update it, and the current system works acceptably without any massive, one-time expenditures on this year’s budget.”

This is why it doesn’t matter what kind of business I go into the person behind the desk/counter always seems to say “I’m really sorry - the computers are running really slow today." A quick look at the screen or the box on/under the desk usually reveals the same thing - they are inevitably running an old OS on antiquated hardware.

To me this is why companies need to adopt something like Chrome OS - a lightweight, low-cost hardware platform using easily upgradeable software is the only way to combat the permanent “slow days” that cost everyone time without incurring the “massive, one-time expenditures” that Marco mentions.