Microsoft yanked back the veil obscuring its Surface RT tablet earlier this week, and if you ask me, it’s the finest example of tablet hardware that we’ve seen to date. Microsoft poured a ton of mental and engineering resources into the Surface, and it shows; the Surface tablet and its oh-so-attractive Touch Cover keyboard is one of just three tablets to ever make me drool with desire. It even has Office 2013! And the new-look Windows is actually kind of awesome on mobile devices once you make a few tweaks.
Even still, I won’t be buying a Surface RT tablet on October 26th. The same goes for any Windows RT tablet. There’s no chance. Nada, nil, zero.
My reluctance doesn’t have anything to do with pricing concerns. Some people think the Surface RT is overpriced at $500 to start, but not me. The Surface RT is a top-tier piece of hardware worthy of a top-tier price point. My concerns lie in Windows RT’s crippled nature, and before you grab your pitchforks, they have nothing to do with the Modern-style overhaul.
Here’s the kicker, though: Microsoft doesn’t need me or you or anybody to buy Windows RT tablets on October 26th. They can be a complete flop in the short term and still be a massive success in the long run.
Let me explain.
Why I won’t buy a Windows RT tablet
In a word: apps.
Windows RT and Windows 8 may look the same on the surface (get it?), but they’re two totally different beasts under the hood. Windows 8 runs on x86-based processors, which means it can run both the new Modern-style Windows apps as well as the programs currently available for Windows 7 PCs.
Windows RT, on the other hand, runs on the ARM-based processors — such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon and Nvidia’s Tegra 3 — that thoroughly dominate the mobile gadget world. That makes Windows RT tablets incompatible with the legion of programs written for past generations of Windows-based operating systems. Basically, Windows RT can only run the new Modern-style apps.
Modern-style apps can only be purchased through the Windows Store, and as it stands today, there simply aren’t enough Windows apps — either in quality or quantity — to make purchasing a Windows RT tablet worthwhile. Not even the breathtaking Microsoft Surface RT with its baked-in Office app.
The vast majority of 4,326 current Windows Store apps are tablet-style games or instantly forgettable novelties. (Fart Soundboard, anyone?) Aside from standout apps by Netflix, Evernote and Slacker, most of the must-have essentials aren’t there. I’ve spoken to several developers about the situation; it seems as though quite a few apps are waiting in the wings, set to appear in the Windows Store when it officially launches on October 26, but I don’t expect the Windows Store selection to skyrocket out of the gate.
That’s a big problem
Windows 8 devices can lean on the current Windows programs we know and love until the Modern-style apps hit full speed. Windows RT tablets don’t have that luxury.
Knowing that, the little flaws in Windows’ new Modern-style apps take on a whole new light. Intel CEO Paul Otellini was recently reported as saying that Microsoft is releasing Windows 8 before it’s ready — a statement that Intel didn’t exactly deny — and I’m inclined to agree with him. As a whole, Windows 8 is a joy on a tablet, but odd little quirks occasionally prove frustrating.
Those rough edges could be a whole post in and of themselves — tune in next week! — but let’s talk about a particular frustration that highlights Windows RT’s issues: The native Mail app’s complete lack of POP3 support. A recent update to the Mail app fleshed out support for the vastly superior IMAP protocol, but if your email provider only provides POP3 remote access (as is the case with many Internet Service Providers, including Comcast and Fairpoint) you’re in trouble.
Windows 8 users can just switch to desktop mode, download Thunderbird or one of the dozens of other freely available POP-compatible classic Windows programs, and start slinging messages in no time. Windows RT users are just screwed unless they switch to a webmail service or perform complex workarounds that Everyday Joe would never figure out for himself.
Nope, Windows RT just isn’t worth the hassle. Gimme a Nexus 7 for half the price instead.
Getting Over the Hump
Manufacturers aren’t stupid. They know Windows RT tablets will be limited at the outset. That’s why we’re seeing an overload of x86-based Windows 8 devices, but only a handful of Windows RT tablets. And that’s totally fine; Windows RT tablets will have their day in the sun. Microsoft’s very future depends on becoming as mobile-friendly as possible — and the company knows it.
Even if Windows tablets fizzle from the get-go, Windows 8 will still be installed on damn near every PC and laptop sold after October 26. Even if traditional computer sales are somewhat lagging, hundreds of millions of them are sold year in and year out.
Nothing attracts developers faster than a massive user base; Windows’ tremendous desktop presence will eventually draw them like flies, and Microsoft is doing everything it can to make developing Windows apps as painless as possible. Modern-style apps and their associated Live Tiles are the heart of the new Windows experience, and those apps will come. There’s no way the major software and service providers will leave the world’s most popular desktop operating system by the wayside.
Sure, those Modern-style Windows apps might be developed to satisfy the hordes of PC users clamoring for Modern-ized versions of classic Windows programs, but they’ll work just as well on mobile devices — regardless of whether those devices run on ARM or Intel processors. Microsoft and its partners don’t need to sell a single Windows RT tablet; a year or two down the line the Windows Store will be packed with Metro apps even if Microsoft’s initial mobile ambitions flop.
It’s genius.
So no, I won’t be buying a Surface RT tablet on October 26, even though the thought of holding it makes my fingers twitch with excitement. Microsoft’s mobile future — its entire future — hinges more on what I will be doing that day, anyway: Taking advantage of the dirt-cheap upgrade offers to upgrade some of my secondary PCs to Windows 8.
In the meantime, check out our review of the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT tablet.
Surface RT will be more than enough for the a majority of consumer users (i.e. students, teachers, the average mom/dad, teenagers etc…) the Surface RT has a full keyboard and mouse pad that acts as a cover when not in use. Now, with the Microsoft Surface RT you can watch movies, listen to music (for free), take pictures, TOP notch security, encryption, video calls, download apps, surf the web, check email, create word, excel and PowerPoint documents just as you have in the past, socialize online, Tweet, Facebook, print, play app games, and without compromise create documents using Office and a keyboard/mouse.
Unlike the IPAD and Android tablets, the Surface RT is not only meant for content/media consumption, but also TRUE content creation as well. It has up to 64GB Storage, quad-core CPU and It includes a full version of the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint: worth $150 and you get it free). You also get a mail client, SkyDrive (one of the best cloud services), a full App store, lots of includes apps, a browser, unlimited FREE Music streaming (over 30 million songs, more than iTunes), a built in kick-stand (to watch movies and work more naturally when at a desk/table), a full USB port, MicroSD Card slot. (You don’t need to buy accessories to transfer files, photos, music documents, just use a USB stick and/or microSD card).
Let’s remember for most people a full blown PC is overkill. The Surface RT gives them all they need. (and you can bet that the Microsoft APP store will grow quickly with many of the old x86 apps created just for the (Surface RT & Pro) app store (accounting apps, advanced photo editing, etc…).
To how many sites have you posted this comment? I’ve only browsed the first few pages with google hits…
Are at least getting paid for all that work ir di you do it out of a passion for a product you haven’t even used yet.
This is so weird a behaviour.
Yes I did use a similar response on a few sites. It seemed easier to respond to similar comments and make the same points using the same comment. I am passionate about the subject and no I am not getting paid to make any comments. I realize I haven’t used the device, but sometimes you can use the facts to come to educated conclusion. (AppleFan boys do this all the time) I have an IPAD and just realized that it was missing what I really needed, not to mention I didn’t want to keep taking 3 devices with me everywhere (tablet, laptop and phone). Anyhow, I believe my points primarily pointed out some missing facts and I wanted to just make sure a fair comparison between the iPad and surface was made. In my opinion the surface just makes sense, you don’t have to compromise.
Totally agree ! Just can’t understand why people keep comparing the Surface RT to full featured notebooks. It is much more than people expect for a Tablet. I just hope MS make it even thinner and lighter. I’m waiting the delivery of the one I’ve pre ordered….very excited. (from Brazil)
Good…that leaves one more for me
“most of the must-have essentials aren’t there” what apps do you mean by must have??
For me, apps are pointless or fripparies at best. With a larger screen they are not nearly as important as they are on phone, where the app usually made up for a poor browsing experience. With IE 9 and a larger screen all the apps I need are available as web pages with more functionality than you get with most of their apps. On the other hand, using office online is useless on the move, especially on a train so having Office baked in is a killer feature and worth about $200 on its own.
Fruit computers made by slaves are best.
Here’s what I need in the Windows RT app store:
Zinio, B&N Nook, Amazon Kindle, a CBR file reader (comic books), and Netflix.
Show me those and I’ll show Microsoft my money.
Bonus points if they don’t limit content the way Google and Apple do.
Fruit computers made by slaves are best.
It seems to me that the surface includes all the functionality I will need. I’m not an app junkie, and I don’t plan to use it for stuff like photoshop etc.
Maybe if they’re lucky, it will be as popular as the Zune!!
Windows RT is a big mistake. What a terrible user interface
funny picture windows RT:
http://flic.kr/p/dk53Py
lol, spamming the same comment across multiple news sites…
The only apps I would need are: Google chrome, Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Pandora, and Minecraft Pocket edition :P
I wonder about minecraft. I saw “survivalcraft” on the windows phone store which looked like the same thing, but didn’t download it. Anyway I remember the minecraft creator bitching and moaning about win8, so maybe we won’t see it.