back to article Windows RT on life support: Microsoft vows it won't pull the plug

Fear not, you unlucky owners of Windows RT tablets: Microsoft hasn't abandoned you yet. Not entirely, anyway. According to Microsoft spokesman Gabe Aul, Windows RT, the feature-limited version of Windows 8 for ARM-powered fondleslabs, will in fact be getting another significant update soon. That's the good news. The bad news …

  1. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. goldcd

      They might have

      but didn't find anybody running it.

  2. hoverboy

    Shame

    Let's just imagine that the Windows 10 idea takes off and the dev promise of one app runs on all devices comes true. An ARM powered tablet running W10 would be a sweet device. How much effort would it really be to keep a port live?

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Trollface

      Re: Shame

      You would have to abolish Microsoft, kill the employees from management downwards and eliminate marketing and 50% of the devs just be doubly sure, then replant a sane mindset over a decade or so.

      So, quite a lot of effort really.

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

  3. DerekCurrie
    WTF?

    The Plug Is Already On The Floor

    Someone believes Windows RT has any future? They're not paying attention.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nee-nah

    I would hate to be the person whose obs are showing in the headline graphic. Oh dear.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If you could only install another OS on it...

    There might be some resale value for an RT slab. Unfortunately MS never gave out secure boot keys for those, so good luck with that.

  6. Richard Plinston

    > Windows RT will be remembered mainly as one of Microsoft's biggest missteps

    It seems that it did achieve one major aim of WoA (Windows on ARM) and that was to kill off WebOS. With WoA Microsoft could threaten _all_ discounts to HP if they were 'disloyal' and made ARM tablets running some other OS.

  7. Deltics

    Much reviled start screen... in context

    The Start Screen is rightfully reviled .... on **DESKTOP** systems. on the RT powered **TABLET** devices on the other hand it is a VERY good fit. What makes no sense on the tablets is the Windows Desktop environment.

    On my Surface I never use the desktop unless forced to by the absence of a modern/metro UI in the app I am using.

    On my desktop 8.1 system I never even see the Start Screen (using Classic Shell for my Start Menu replacement/restoration).

    MS should have been more aggressive in differentiating between the two devices, rather than the FrankenUI they came up with.

    As for the rampant, faux pity in this article, as an owner of a 1st gen Surface RT I don't much care what people think of it who have never owned one. It is by the far the most versatile and productive tablet of any that I have owned (various 'droids and iPads) made all the better by a battery life that is the envy of all the others.

    The criticisms leveled at the platform and the devices in this article come from only one place: ignorance.

    1. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Re: Much reviled start screen... in context

      With Windows 8.0 RT, it was a pain to try to switch to the desktop. Charms, Search, D E S K (not yet) T (amazingly, still not yet...) O (ah, there it is!)...

      With Windows 8.1 RT, you simply touch the funny Windows hot button. Like this: Desktop, Start Screen, Desktop, Start Screen, Desktop, Start Screen, ...

      1. Hellcat

        Re: Much reviled start screen... in context

        With Windows 8.0 RT, it was a pain to try to switch to the desktop

        I'm pretty sure there was a tile on the start screen for desktop, so the process was more like this:

        Windows hot button, hit the desktop tile.

    2. Timmy B

      Re: Much reviled start screen... in context

      I see you get it too. If only they had done that in the first place. I really like my Surface 2. It's the best made tablet I've had and I've cone through a few. Had it since a couple of months after launch and it seems almost like new. Unlike other tablets and other windows installations the major plus it has is that it has never slowed down due to the gathering of app junk or windows cruft. Shame to see them go, really.

  8. karlkarl Silver badge

    Windows on ARM could have been great if they didn't cripple it!

    You hear that Microsoft! You bunch of gimmicky ponces! ;)

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Deja vu

    Windows Phone 7.8 to let WP7 users 'get the experience' of Windows Phone 8.

    Windows 8.1 RT Update 3 to let WinRT users 'get the experience' of Windows 10.

    WP 7.8 burnt bridges and goodwill between MIcrosoft and users, OEMs. It was one of the main reasons why Windows phones never really gained any meaningful market share.

    I wonder what will happen this time?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Deja vu

      MS will probably give you 'Quartana', a quarter (ed. none) of the features of Cortana.

      Erh - well actually, a Cortana Icon that you can press again and again and it plays back one of 4 random different recorded digital samples again and again of Cortana's voice, like one of those Cry Real Tears Dolls, where you pulled a string to hear her voice.

      Surface RT will have the familiar touchy feely sound of Cortana, you can add your own tears for effect.

      1. John Styles

        Re: Deja vu

        Like the old Microsoft Barney then - see the Knowledge Base article (on archive.org) http://web.archive.org/web/20040603154438/support.microsoft.com/?kbid=172653 'Sometimes Barney Starts Playing Peekaboo on His Own'

  10. disco_stu

    Windows 10 runs on ARM phones and the Raspberry Pi, is there any reason ( other than they can't be bothered ) for Windows 10 to run on a SurfaceRT ?

  11. Nelbert Noggins

    Considering that the Raspberry Pi 2 and the Qualcomm DragonBoard 410c, both of which have Arm 7 based processors are listed as Windows 10 IOT dev boards, it shouldn't be that hard for MS to get Win 10 Desktop running on the Arm based hardware. The core OS is already being compiled against Arm.

    https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/dn914597(v=vs.85).aspx

    Qualcomm also announced Win 10 Mobile will run on it's Snapdragon 210 reference designs for phones, which no doubt will also be Arm cores.

    I suspect that the Windows 10 Desktop on Arm isn't a priority for MS and with Intel Atom tablets becoming so common they're targeting Win 10 IOT and Mobile at Arm, with Win 10 Desktop for Tablets and PCs. I doubt the RT machines will ever see Win 10 and MS would prefer they end up fading away, rather than porting the remaining parts of Win 10 Desktop to Arm at the moment.

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