Microsoft Dropped "RT" From Surface to Avoid Confusion

[londart]

Giving them both the same name "Surface", releasing them at the same time, making them identical, and both running a OS labeled "Windows" was the mistake. People think "Windows" runs on all PC's therefor they must both be PC's. It says it runs "Windows" it should run my programs, right? It was a huge blunder on the management teams part. Don't make things that look the same, that are named the same, if you don't want people to think they are the same. It's basic marketing. Don't make a box of poison look like a box of cereal if you don't want people to confuse them. The lost 900 million because they failed to follow basic marketing rules that any marketing firm could have told them if they had bothered to ask.

 

[Kieran Warren]

I wish they would remove Windows RT completely and just make a lightweight version of windows 8 for smaller tablets that can still run proper windows apps and programs, and just forget about ARM because Windows is much better off with x86

 

[Fredrik Aldhagen]

first off 4 gb of ram should be in these things, seriously 2gb of ram simply isn't enough anymore you need at least 4gb of ram. secondly surface 2 only comes with 32gb or 64gb of hard drive space? seriously by the time windows 8.1 is installed you already ate up 15gb of space 32gb is a joke. they should at least come with 80gb or 120gb of hard drive space.

2 GB RAM is fine for an ARM device.

Buy a Mac, buy an iPad... you have the exact same problem.

I don't understand why people are so quick to jump on the Ms hate over this one issue.

Because Apple makes a clear distinction between Macs and iPads. Microsoft on the other hand makes an operating system for PCs, Windows, and two tablets, one of which runs just about any app you could run on Windows on a regular PC, the other which runs a cut down operating system that only runs its own specific apps but is still marketed as Windows.

Since the price reduction, the original Surface is probably the best tablet to buy out there... but the damage is already done.

Except for lacking software support compared to Android tablets and iPads.

 

[rantoc]

So its going so bad MS that you even have to try to trick peeps to get the SF2 voloumes up, good luck with that!

 

[rokit]

So when people will buy Surface 2 they won't be confused why it can't run Windows programs? *facewall*

 

[none12345]

It should have never been named windows in the first place.

Using ARM isnt necessarily a bad thing, but you need to make it absolutely clear that its not compatible with normal windows applications. They should have called it something completely different. And left windows on the x86 version.

Microsoft really is falling lately. They are trying to be apple, and screwing up on every front.

 

[gnodeb]

Once upon a time I was reading these kind of discussions to learn something. Now I just got frustrated with the insane level of ignorance.

Few years ago, If someone complained that he can not run AutoCad for windows on windows CE device, everybody would laugh at him.

So please, pay attention... There is a NEW Windows OS which runs new MODERN applications on both x86 and ARM systems. These new applications can run on traditional desktops, laptops and tablets (and there are some rumors about XBOX) with or without touch screen, with or without mouse/keyboard. As a user you can buy app once and use it on all your devices. As a developer you can target all these devices with the same app.

On top of that, you can install new windows on any old machine that was capable of running winxp and it will work just the same or event faster. Also if you have new x86 hardware you will be able to run any x86 software you may have. You are just one Win+D key press away from the old way...

I have to wonder... if Apple came up with this, would you still think it's confusing?

 

[machvelocy]

Buy a Mac, buy an iPad... you have the exact same problem.

I don't understand why people are so quick to jump on the Ms hate over this one issue.

The main problem with Surface is that MS thinks Office RT is worth something (it isn't) and priced it at an insane level.

Since the price reduction, the original Surface is probably the best tablet to buy out there... but the damage is already done.

BTW surface RT can join a Windows network and use also remote desktop. If you use Windows as your primary OS, you're a mutton head for picking an iPad over a Surface after the price reduction. (before price reduction, there was a compelling argument about the insane price of Surface Rt)

Apple doesn't named their ipad operating system with Mac OS prefix. they clearly made a distinction between their device by naming their mobile OS as iOs, instead of Mac OS mobile/ Mac OS ARM/ OS X mini/ or whatever with OSX in it. Google also done the same by not naming their Chromebooks OS with Android whatever-catchy-brand-name.

Microsoft seems to ignore the fact that it was their windows branding on winRT that made the confusion. don't drop the RT, drop the windows from Windows RT name.

 

[Lawrence Sinanan]

The RT/Pro BS was bad but now they are purposely making it worse. GG M$. You will get that one time sale and then drive you customers straight into the arms of Apple.

 

[g-unit1111]

BTW surface RT can join a Windows network and use also remote desktop. If you use Windows as your primary OS, you're a mutton head for picking an iPad over a Surface after the price reduction. (before price reduction, there was a compelling argument about the insane price of Surface Rt)

That ain't true at all and that's precisely the reason why MS is getting all the (well deserved, IMO) hate for Windows RT. OK maybe it's half true. Remote desktop is there, but you cannot join a Windows Server domain. It's setup to work exactly like Windows 8 - the desktop is there, but lacks dedicated network functions and the ability to run .EXE files. If they wanted to truly be distinct from Windows 8 and Windows RT, they'd eliminate the desktop feature from RT completely.

 

[monsta]

You would think with the second coming of the Suface Tablet they would of surrendered the RT version all together. Especially with its lack of sales and inability to use Outlook which a lot of people did not know about before they bought the RT version. Which is supposedly going to be fixed in the near future.
I guess MS is trying to merge RT OS with Windows 8 from whats being said from MS, they should of done this earlier if this is true, dropping the RT name is just going to confuse people further.

 

[killerb255]

Microsoft doesn't get it. They still think consumers see a tablet as a mini-laptop. The iPad answers the question of "how can I do what I do on an iPhone with a larger screen." It's a giant iPhone (minus the "phone"). Nothing more.

The Surface is a mini-laptop. That's not what Average Joe wants.

 

[brad327]

Would it have been too difficult to market a Windows 8.1 tables and a Surface 2 tablet?

 

[Pallimud]

Microsoft made the mistake of launching two different products at the same time and packing them the same way. It was a bad call and now they're trying to fix the mistake.

What should have happened is that they launched the RT as it's own product with a low price point and a direct competitor with the Andriod/iOS tablets. Afterward, they should have launched the full windows tablet, changing how the case looked a bit to make it clear that it was a different product, and giving it another name.

It seems like they tried to kill two birds with one stone by using the same name and hoping by marketing 'Surface' would be able to get both audiences without having two completely different products to market. They failed to kill any birds though.

 

[DsrtFx]

first off 4 gb of ram should be in these things, seriously 2gb of ram simply isn't enough anymore you need at least 4gb of ram. secondly surface 2 only comes with 32gb or 64gb of hard drive space? seriously by the time windows 8.1 is installed you already ate up 15gb of space 32gb is a joke. they should at least come with 80gb or 120gb of hard drive space.

Surface 2 (lite?) will be running RT, a smaller installation of 8.1.
The Surface 2 Pro can have up to 8 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. More than enough for a full version of 8.1.

The Surface 2 (lite) has a 64GB SSD option, and don't forget about the microSD port for expansion! We should be good.