Microsoft Supporting Windows RT Until 2017

[exfileme]

Microsoft has revealed when Mainstream Support for its Surface RT tablet will come to an end.

Microsoft Supporting Windows RT Until 2017 : Read more

 

[kawininjazx]

This is good news for people who bought the Surface. Not trying to start a war here, but you sure don't get five years of support for your iPad. The iPad 1 only got a little over 2 years before it was dropped from updates.

 

[tpi2007]

Well, 5 years is the time it will take for Microsoft to fix all the problems Windows RT has, including the slowdowns while typing in Word, etc.

/joke


On a more serious note, this is a good thing, and even though it's not expected that Surface (at least the RT version) will get much marketshare, it would be excellent if Apple and Google provided a longer, more consistent and predictable support period for their mobile products.

It's understandable when feature phones or cheap smartphones are no longer supported after a year or two, but Apple sells equipment for quite a lot of money and there are plenty of high-end devices using Android that are basically computers in a small form factor, so a little more appreciation for customers is very welcome.

 

[mariusmotea]

On tablets you don't need support like on PC, only if the OS has many security breaches and bugs.

 

[DjEaZy]

... meh...

 

[bystander]

This is pretty typical for MS OS's. They all lose support after a few years, but if RT is hugely successful and people don't want to move away from it, they'd continue support, but that is unlikely for a tablet OS.

 

[alidan]

[citation][nom]tpi2007[/nom]Well, 5 years is the time it will take for Microsoft to fix all the problems Windows RT has, including the slowdowns while typing in Word, etc. /jokeOn a more serious note, this is a good thing, and even though it's not expected that Surface (at least the RT version) will get much marketshare, it would be excellent if Apple and Google provided a longer, more consistent and predictable support period for their mobile products. It's understandable when feature phones or cheap smartphones are no longer supported after a year or two, but Apple sells equipment for quite a lot of money and there are plenty of high-end devices using Android that are basically computers in a small form factor, so a little more appreciation for customers is very welcome.[/citation]

the problem with providing longer life spans is that in 5 years time, the tech will be at least triple the speed it currently is, if not faster, that means that all the code must work with a legacy platform... that said, i cant understand why windows 8rt takes up 12 gb of info if it had to all be put on arm... i understand an x86 having crap tons of space taken up, but rt... that i don't understand.

 

[dgingeri]

Microsoft has always supported their products long after other software makers quit. How many times have you bought an app that needed patches, only to find out the maker quit patching after a year or so, and just came out with a new version? It's happened dozens of times for me. Nero and AnyDVD are also exceptions, as they release patches all the time, but any Antivirus program I've had just wasn't patched anymore after the new version came out. All they'd release would be virus signature updates. Adobe is the same way. They stopped any patches on CS3 products the moment CS4 came out, and then the same thing when the CS5 products came out. Their idea of solving issues with the old version is "buy the new version."

EA is absolutely horrible about putting out patches after the initial release. They don't seem to support anything, at least anything I've purchased, beyond the first couple weeks after release. I quit buying EA products almost a decade ago because of that. I couldn't even count the number of cheaper programs I've purchased that had totally disabling bugs, yet no patch was ever put our for it. I also quit buying those cheap programs because of that.

 

[technoholic]

[citation][nom]dgingeri[/nom]Microsoft has always supported their products long after other software makers quit. How many times have you bought an app that needed patches, only to find out the maker quit patching after a year or so, and just came out with a new version? It's happened dozens of times for me. Nero and AnyDVD are also exceptions, as they release patches all the time, but any Antivirus program I've had just wasn't patched anymore after the new version came out. All they'd release would be virus signature updates. Adobe is the same way. They stopped any patches on CS3 products the moment CS4 came out, and then the same thing when the CS5 products came out. Their idea of solving issues with the old version is "buy the new version." EA is absolutely horrible about putting out patches after the initial release. They don't seem to support anything, at least anything I've purchased, beyond the first couple weeks after release. I quit buying EA products almost a decade ago because of that. I couldn't even count the number of cheaper programs I've purchased that had totally disabling bugs, yet no patch was ever put our for it. I also quit buying those cheap programs because of that.[/citation]
So you use no software at all?