Microsoft Surface May Be Only Windows RT Left in Market

[de5_Roy]

this is what happens when you try to kill 'right mouse click'. 😆

really, ms builds this p.o.s. for profit instead of sales. they even dropped RT from the device name to scam users into buying it. they don't lower o.s. price to be competitive with the likes of google and apple. then there's storage capacity scam, office rt bundling scam. might as well call it the skimmer or surface SC instead of surface.

MS should learn from the nearly billion dollar middle finger it's been shown.

 

[w8gaming]

I think g-unit meant replace the ARM chips with something like Intel's Bay Trail or AMD's Temash for x86 support.

That's a big problem with RT, it really isn't much more optimized than full Win 8 which is why it is sluggish on ARM chips. If it were more optimized, and took up a lot less disk space, this article might not exist.

What they need to do is merge RT with Windows phone (much more optimized for ARM) and have it on tablets 8" and under and then full Windows 8 on everything above.

This would likely eliminate the desktop, but does anyone really need the desktop on an 8" tablet?

The problem is without desktop, there will not be any killer applications on RT. Because not even Office runs in Metro mode.

 

[w8gaming]

G-unit, I'm not sure it's as simple as you described. x86 apps simply can't run on ARM without being recompiled... I don't think it's something MS could have fixed.

You can absolutely run x86 on ARM hardware... it is just via emulation which is just a bit slow and painful. Not going to be playing AAA x86 video games on an ARM box, but you can run a bunch of different office programs with minimal issue. Ubuntu OS takes it a bit further running windows applications through WINE to get it run run on Linux, and then via x86 emulation. I have not seen it in person, but it has shown up in a few videos they put out last year. I imagine it runs pretty slow, but it really opens up a lot of potential.

Running x86 via any kind of emulation on a slow chip such as Tegra3 will wield very subpar experiences. A much better choice would have been to release an Atom based model. Virtual machines for x86 also exist on Android platform, but few people use it due to it being too slow.

 

[w8gaming]

I agree, had they not locked Windows and allowed full Windows 8 to be installed on the Surface and priced it below what a basic 16GB iPad Mini runs for, this thing would be FLYING off the shelves. The hardware on the Surface RT is great, way better than Apple A5 / A7, but the lack of the ability to run x86 programs hurts the device and its' potential use in an IT environment.

I'm not sure how you plan to run x86 on an ARM architecture without some type of emulation layer. And then you have to deal with compatibility problems when programs start calling functions that have no direct translation between Win32 and RT. Even recompiling doesn't help if the proper libraries and system functions aren't available on RT/ARM.

The only solution at that point is to have a full x86 architecture on the tablet from the get-go. A full x86 chip, OS, and trimmings on that small a form-factor and all under $500 is pretty hard to pull off. Maybe with Silvermont you can pull it off, and if they do I'd be first in line to buy one.

It already exists. For example, HP envy X2.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2417564,00.asp

Or Asus:

http://www.amazon.com/VivoTab-Smart-ME400C-C1-BK-10-1-Inch-Tablet/dp/B00AA6OVLI

There will be more soon, no doubt.

 

[damianrobertjones]

"It still absolutely baffles me that people have so many issues with Microsoft releasing a version of their OS that can't run desktop applications, when that is the EXACT same thing that Apple and Google are doing."

Exactly.... It's almost as if they just want something to moan about

 

[OttToyBoy]

News Flash! -- Apple is the only manufacturer of the iPad!
What a dumb (and over-used) headline for this article.

 

[g-unit1111]

"It still absolutely baffles me that people have so many issues with Microsoft releasing a version of their OS that can't run desktop applications, when that is the EXACT same thing that Apple and Google are doing."

Exactly.... It's almost as if they just want something to moan about

Big difference between Andorid and Windows RT - Windows RT has the exact Windows desktop interface that Windows 8 has. Android is a dedicated mobile platform. Android does not have the Windows desktop interface. If they had taken out the Windows desktop and had it used Windows 8 Metro it would be much different.

 

[rokit]

Wow, my comment was removed. Is this site M$ biased? Truth hurts is't it, M$ dogs?)

 

[grimtriad]

@Keiran Warden:
My current Surface Pro with just the Intel graphics can play Marvel Heroes and WoW just fine. Unless you mean old steam games like Crysis 2, or Call of Duty, the current Surface Pro 2 which is supposed to be 75% graphically faster should be sufficient. Though, gaming on a 10.6 inch screen sucks.

 

[RedJaron]

It already exists. For example, HP envy X2.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2417564,00.asp

Or Asus:

http://www.amazon.com/VivoTab-Smart-ME400C-C1-BK-10-1-Inch-Tablet/dp/B00AA6OVLI

There will be more soon, no doubt.

Those are both Z2760 chips, the older Saltwell architecture, not the new Silvermont.

But yes, I hope some Bay Trail ultrabooks come around soon.