Blame the network effect. Large hardware brands are operating on razor thin margins. So the way to get a profit is bundling. And to do that you need to offer the biggest platform there is.<p>So what they do is they strike a deal with MS for Windows and Office, quite possibly with a bunk discount.<p>And then turn around to companies like Symantec and make them a deal, X amount of dollars pr device shipped with their 30 day preview package pre-installed.<p>Basically the reason you have to muck about with powertop is that you are doing an aftermarket install. You would see similar problems with Windows if it was not the big dog in the market.<p>I really wish Canonical all the best with that tablet of theirs, but as i have to order it from abroad, and deal with potential taxes etc, i am not going to buy it any time soon...