I definitely can understand some of the anger toward Microsoft.
I owned both the original Xbox and Xbox 360.
I had a blast with the original.
The 360 I really enjoyed until its later years. The dashboard became completely dominated by advertisements. It no longer felt like a console, but a media device that begged me to spend money. It promoted mostly the things that I dislike, and most of these things I believe did not need any more media coverage. Eg. Rihanna, Lady Gaga etc. The fact that they had advertisement made me wonder why I was paying for Live when they would have been making money promoting the mainstream.
I'm not interested in pop music so I don't want it littering my gaming space. That and the DRM fiasco many people know all too well.
I also owned a Playstation and Playstation 2. I skipped 3 because many of my friends had a 360. Microsoft managed to market itself well, I give it that.
Now I know not to buy something just because it is popular.
I often think back to how I should have bought a Playstation 3 instead but that seems far too late with the Playstation 4 out now (I wish there was backwards compatibility).
I have always gone with multiple consoles. This gen it will definitely be Playstation 4 and Wii U hands down.
Edit: I would like to note that I am more skeptical of Microsoft than anything. I don't necessarily hate them, but I don't see myself buying an Xbox One anytime soon as it appears to continue what I did not like about the later years of the 360. This does not mean I would not ever play the console or any of its games.
