Technology rumors have an uncanny knack of mostly holding true, but this is one case where the previous reports have been left in the dust. Dell has officially given up on Windows RT.
And even though there were reports that Dell was still in the Windows RT game and was planning to launch at least on product based on the ARM platform, the company has decided to call it quits and join the list of other Microsoft partners that have abandoned the platform.
The company has confirmed that it will not be releasing any other Windows RT product, at least in the foreseeable future, as it aims to provide users with what it calls the full Windows experience.
Neil Hand, the head of tablets over at Dell, talking to CNET said:
“We are not planning to refresh our current line of RT products. We’re really focused on full Windows products. The full Windows experience provides great capability.”
The executive also revealed that the XPS 10 would be phased out — the tablet is already removed from the US market as of this writing. Hand continued:
“We are very good at understanding our true customer demand and adjusting our supply chain to fit that in real time.”
When it comes to the reasoning behind this decision, the lack of software applications is once again cited as one of the main setbacks for tablets and devices that run Windows RT. Perhaps as significant is the fact that the high price of these products also drives users away from Windows on ARM.
Sam Burd, vice president of Dell’s PC business had this to add:
“For the same range of price, you can get a full Windows 8 tablet. If you want to run the new Windows 8 interface, you can, but you can also run all the old apps as before. That’s hard to compete against. Unless you’re priced far below that, there’s just not space.”
Fair enough, I say.
Microsoft now remains the lone ranger, and the only company that continues to stand behind and bet big on the Windows RT platform. Redmond has enhanced and implemented a bunch of new additions into its upcoming Windows RT 8.1 that powers its new Surface 2 tablet.
These include improved touch, a number of additional customization features, along with support for smaller devices — things the technology titan aims to put to good use in the reported Surface Mini.
Oh well. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Their RT products weren’t that great, and they didn’t go a great job of promoting them. I still believe there are less consumers that NEED a tablet that does everything a full-blown version of Windows can do than there are people who simply want a tablet to do basic things with. I use an iPad at work and its on the verge of useless, but honestly I don’t need a full Windows tablet. If I had a tablet with a little more basic PC functionality than an iPad, it would make a mile of difference. I mean a Surface Pro would be great, but I honestly don’t do heavy work enough on the go enough to need one. I just need a tablet that allows me to do some basic things while I’m not at my PC, and there are plenty of people who need it for even less than that. Half the people out there with iPads don’t really NEED a tablet at all.
Yeah, I don’t think Microsoft will be too concerned about Windows RT, as long as it can develop and market the platform itself to enterprises. It is an awfully clean and secure operating environment, free of viruses and worms.
And to think it is only second generation stuff right now, give it another three years, and 64-bit ARM processors will be blazing fast. I’d say the Surface Mini (or whatever it is called) will be the real show stopper. Its sales performance should be enough to give a better picture of the RT landscape.
Who knows, maybe some OEMs will start making Windows RT devices if Surface Mini starts tearing up the sales chart. It’d be quite a sight if it happens, though. But if hardware partners keep their focus on Atom devices, then I can see Microsoft positioning Windows RT for businesses and enterprises.
I bought an RT tablet as I would carry it around and use public wi-fi. Running a non-x86 tablet in public network will make me feel safer as it won’t able to pick up any x86 viruses or worms. At home, I am running a win8 laptop though as it is inside my secured network.