Can't it be BOTH a jab at microsoft and a strategic corporate move AND what users really want?

I don't see this as an "either/or" situation here. You CAN please your users AND provide a very competitive and harsh environment for the competition to exist in.

That's called "creating an authentically great product" and I think it's one reason Google has made it this far.

Sure, it's a kind of jab at the competition. But because it's a genuinely Good Move that is aligned with what people really want, it'll be especially fatal (potentially) because it's not just some empty corporate maneuver or competitive feature-creep that ends up annoying the end user.

Interesting post! Data portability seems like a good idea that could represent an answer to some privacy concerns, provided that the Internet companies will agree to delete personal data after it's moved elsewhere. That agreement shouldn't be taken for granted, however. At this point in time the Internet companies are not willing to provide details about their data retention policies or to say whether deleted data is actually gone for good. In some cases, such as personalized search results, an individual can only delete his or her access to his or her searches. A master copy continues to reside with the search engine. A recent attempt to get clarity from Internet companies about their data retention policies can be found here: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/15318880.htm