Microsoft wants Windows to be hip and enjoyable to use, so it has come up with its own tablet-style interface and tried to make it work on tablets as well as PCs.
The awards fit the trend toward giving executives stock instead of stock options, which have been blamed for spurring managers into taking excess risks or even tinkering with the books, Enron-style, to drive up the share price in the short term and make for a big cash payday.