I thought M$ were smart to offer limited discounts like they did with 360 at Wal-Mart. That way you can keep close tabs and control your 'losses'. Plus a bigbox would share some costs knowing they got people in the door. This two month free-for-all seems out of character and way more risky. Had to be done I guess.
They could offer something free with the $400 sku in Jan to ease the transition. MCC promos and H5 beta access will be farther down the road. Sunset maybe? They'll need to do something or eat potentially big bucks at $350 and $450. I don't suppose the Cortana interface is ready for general consumption. Years away.
So on topic they're temporary fixes for what is a longer term problem. The drop causes other issues. Doing nothing just wasn't an option.
