The switch to PoS is due to the fact that PoW is unsustainable - those miners who have made massive investment in GPUs to-date are experiencing rapid diminishing returns with these DAG sizes - 'they may' swtich to ETC just to get a little more life out of their rigs, but there is no sense in them continuing to load up on hardware for ETH. ETC, if it has a future (which I doubt - it should not), will face the same need.
Those serious folks who wish to use the technology are not going to go with a bunch of opportunistic malcontents, they will follow those that created the tech in the first place. There is very little chance that ETC will overtake ETH in its current state/price/etc, and def not in the future, as the most capable developers will be working on ETH, and it will be there where the real advancements are made.
ETC is a short-term novelty that some have made a decent profit pumping and trading, but its end is nigh.
We hear the words "progressive" a lot, but it seems few really think about what that means. ETH started off with its mission statement, core beliefs, and excited a lot of people to get involved based on those ideas. However people still seem to use the word progressive even if that "progress" has left some or all of the core beliefs behind. That isn't progressive, it in fact becomes regresssive. I believe the ETC core beliefs are not malcontents looking for a fight, but those who feel the core values and mission are being lost so ETC was born. We are now focusing on those core beliefs and development around those core beliefs. We will not censor, we will not change the blockchain, we will not "be evil" in the attempt to do good and disregard our core mission or ideas.
@greenuser said it well. We will not be sticking with a pure play POW or pure play POS. Both methods consolidate too much power into select groups hands. Over time it becomes unsustainable. So the conversations are focusing on hybrid types of implementation. There are those that are wanting to stay pure POW, but I think they need to understand why that is not a good idea. So some education into the methods for implementation and why POW longer term will be a bad thing. ASIC's will become a factor, consolidation of mining power in places where cost to buy and operate are cheaper start to dominate the network and power consolidates into fewer and fewer hands. Same issue happens with pure POS, the power on the network consolidates to the wealthy. Those that have to earn and use the coin will have a smaller and smaller stake. To stake coin you typically have to be holder of the coin for a certain period of time to stake anything. Those using the coin with limited resources will be at a severe disadvantage.
I also agree with @greenuser about the POC type of coins. Anyone could be mining and staking even with typical devices that people carry with them daily. Anyone, anywhere there is network access could be mining with very low cost devices that use far less energy. I could see villages and communities setting a disk farm powered by solar and have income coming into that community. These are accessible technologies that can be bought by people of even more modest means. So I hope as this conversation continues we talk more about these ideas.
Right now the conversation seems to be directed to a hybrid POW/POS system.
I believe as we stick to our core beliefs that the original Ethereum will not only survive, but will thrive. I cannot say that I believe that will happen with ETH. The more people find out what has been happening with the theft of the DAO and the leaked internal conversations nobody who is investing or risking their businesses is going to trust these people with their money. Don't like the outcome and have enough skin in the game to put pressure on ETHF and you can get a do over.... Not going to work, Too risky.
ETC has a active and growing community. We are excited about where this goes and what is happening. Those wishing we will go away are going to be disappointed. Maybe those people will one day realize that the token/coin they are supporting is really only about supporting itself and not about the community. That is OK, ETC community will be here to welcome them.
Enjoy your rest "ocminer", you deserve it!