Windows RT, like it should be
Microsoft can fix Windows RT and make it a better product but it has to work fast
Not everybody likes Windows 8 and it’s not difficult to understand why. The latest OS from Microsoft has its problems - UI problems - and while a part of them will be addressed by the upcoming 8.1 many users still can’t understand why they had to change habits.
Despite the complaints I think it’s a good product that will get better over time.
My opinion about Windows RT is quite different, it’s a weird beast born with at least three BIG problems:
- It shouldn’t have a desktop
- Office - included - should have a real touch UI
- It shouldn’t run exclusively on ARM (Intel is now able to deliver competitive SoCs for tablets, far better than the widely adopted Tegra 3)
The right way to “do” Windows RT was to create a consumer-oriented OS based on Modern UI, not a carbon copy of Windows 8 compiled for ARM with some arbitrary limitations. Why?
Because RT should be a way to “attack” the post-PC device market but in the current form is too similar to 8 to accomplish that.
Both the OSes can be used to build consumer tablets and this creates confusion from the consumer point of view, as underlined by many authors like Peter Bright.
And confusion isn’t a good friend for Microsoft.
This absurdity gets even worse if you consider the existence of decent WIntel tablets at about the same price of the RT alternatives. They don’t include Office - a mere 10 dollars per month plan - but are able to run legacy software, a big advantage with the shortage of quality apps of the Windows Store.
Intel is going to launch the next-Atom - with a new microarchitecture - during the holiday season, what will be the advantages of getting a RT device? I don’t see any of them and this is one of the reason - but probably not the most relevant - why they are performing poorly.
Microsoft is aware of this and is working to improve the platform. We know that a touch-based Office is a work-in-progress and probably we will be able to buy it during 2014. This could be the first step to get rid of the desktop and make Windows RT compatible with both ARM and Intel SoCs. Finally, a product with a proper segment.
A big concern remains, can Microsoft wait a year or more while Android and iOS are eating all the pie (post-PC device market)? The company’s results are really good so we know that Ballmer & Co. have deep pockets - I would say “Yes, it can”. But Microsoft’s success largely depends on the Windows platform and it has to move fast to reduce the gap with its competitors.
