All your points are valid as much as I can tell, but this one : "requiring a Live.com user for a local account,"
You can create a local account without any live.com user by just disabling internet while installing windows. I know it's still working around the software... But it's still doable.
You can create a local account without any live.com user by just disabling internet while installing windows. I know it's still working around the software... But it's still doable.