Samsung to yank Windows RT Ativ tablet off shelves in Europe, German site reports

By Gloria Sin March 6, 2013

Poor Windows RT. After telling CNET that it has no plans to release its Windows RT tablet, the Ativ Tab, in America at CES earlier this year, Samsung representatives have gone on record at CeBIT 2013 in Germany this week to say the Korean company is also having second thoughts about selling RT devices in Europe.

Based on a Google translation of the a report from German tech site Heise, a Samsung spokesperson reportedly told the outlet that the Korean company will “no longer provide the tablet in Germany and other European countries to the trade.” We’ve reached out to Samsung to confirm its position on discontinuing its RT-based Ativ Tab in Europe, and will be updating this story when we hear back.

Given that the light-weight Windows operating system is still full of bugs (as we keep pointing out in our various RT device reviews), and consumers continue to be confused about the differences between RT and full Windows 8, we can’t say we blame the Korean company for reconsidering its support for the OS.

Some of the reasons that Samsung cited for not bringing the Qualcomm-powered RT tablet stateside are likely applicable to its European decision as well. As Samsung’s Mike Abary explained back in January, the Korean company felt Microsoft did not communicate clearly enough to consumers what RT is and how it is different from Windows 8. As a result, Samsung figured it would have to do too much to convince customers on why they should be getting an RT device, when its retail partners were already expecting low demand for RT products. So rather than spend its resources on convincing consumers on the merits of the RT and its devices, the Samsung decided to take a wait-and-see approach to RT in the United States, and now in Europe as well.

With Samsung out of the RT game at the moment, the only manufacturers who are still making RT tablets are Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Microsoft, with its own Surface RT. That’s not exactly ringing endorsement for an OS that is supposed to provide a familiar Windows 8 experience to tablet users. We hope Microsoft will finally take a good look at RT and reconsider its strategy, too.

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