I think canceling Andromeda will be the final straw for many folks. Canceling Andromeda would be horribly deflating to fans and developers alike.
I don't think it can hurt to drop a line satya's way...
satyan@microsoft.com, and urge him to consider the morale factor alone. He may just answer.
I was listening to Dan and Zac's podcast last night and they actually hit on a clever idea...
If MS are worried about launching this device to a world that isn't ready for it, why not take a page from the Tesla playbook and run a pre-order programme, where those that want it have to stick down a hefty deposit.
That way, MS will know exactly what level of appetite exists for the device. Heck, they could then even offer some sort of personalisation...maybe a unique engraving, on your device. Something that personalises it could help to market it.
The worst case scenario in that instance is that MS only get a handful of deposits and can then justifiably say "hey, look, we tried, but no one wants this thing right now, so we're putting it back in the labs and will revisit it one day."
Personally, I think they'd get pre-orders for tens of thousands.