MobilityLeaks: Why RT Fails
David K: Look at this. Same price as RT, better specs. Yeah you still need to buy office…got that and that is a real number but still everyone compares price tags and these cheap pro tablets are where it’s at.
Ram: To me, RT is a backup plan of Microsoft’s hidden agenda. What if Intel fails …
Stephen: I agree with you. Initially I saw RT as the future, but looking at how deliberately limited it is since it doesn’t have any of the legacy application support that is still necessary or desired for most users, domain join support, or even some of the legacy Microsoft apps like Media Center and Media Player. Now I can see that it is really just a way of prodding Intel along and saying “hey, if you don’t get it together we’ll take this all the way and let Qualcomm, nVidia, and whoever else wants to make ARM chipsets in.”
I just hope it works, because if Intel calls their bluff and the other chipset makers don’t come through with better ARM SoCs in the next year or two, Intel could end their decades-long partnership with Microsoft and just make x64 chips for Apple instead.
Stephen: I know that’s a bit far-fetched, but Microsoft has been pushing Intel around so much over the last 5 years or so that I have to wonder what the final straw will be, if it happens. I’ve been noticing ever since Intel faced competition in the mobile space and Microsoft didn’t choose their chipset over Qualcomm’s for Windows Phone that the Wintel relationship seems to have soured. I’d say that unlike 10 or 20 years ago, it only persists today out of Intel’s need for the business, rather than Microsoft’s need for their chips.
Danny: In a few years when every relevant piece of software is available in Win-8 app form, and ARM chips are better, RT will be by far the superior platform, I think. It’s a long way off though, obviously.
David K: Not sure why ARM is better. ARM needs more power. Intel needs more efficiency. This is just setting up fragmentation…there I said it.
Ram: Intel screwed Microsoft while Microsoft was facing Monopoly case. during those court sessions, Intel’s then VP cried foul in the court. Also Intel started using Linux for their labs and encouraged Linux by joining the foundation. It was Intel who brought that to themselves.
David K: Someone want to drop this into a post?
Doug Simmons: Yeah I’ll do it, though I want to see what happens if I do it without the formatting and goofy pictures, or my own witty contributions. I have a feeling that like the RT it will fall flat but I should probably actually read some of what you guys wrote to each other before making such a declaration.
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Doug Simmons
Biographical info.. hmm. I have a history of not being able to strike the balance between what is "safe" to put into these forms and what is, in my mind at least, funny. Can't do it.
Most times you outgrow friendships and partnerships. Microsoft is shooting itself in the foot by not going with what works now. If partners get pissed off they will suck it up when you come calling with a way for them to make lots of money.
Not a single user cares about Microsoft’s supposed consideration of OEM partners. We want a device that gets the job done, period.
Not sure exactly what Microsoft has planned for RT. Remember though, with a little hack and aside from the needed resources, RT can be made to run some legacy type apps. So maybe the RT2, with a little more RAM and a larger SSD, will become today’s Windows 8, with Win 8 Pro standing alone with Intel/AMD chips for power users. No reason why you couldn’t have Quicken or PhotoShop LT running on an RT device, while the Windows App Store continued to move users away from the conventional desktop.
I think Microsoft is simply trying to prepare for every scenario. They got caught with their pants down in the Smartphone evolution and don’t want that to happen again. Consumers will inevitably dictate the direction they follow.
I just fall into the train of thought that the surest way to fail is to try and please everyone. Microsoft is fighting an uphill battle. No need to waste resources and time planning for scenarios. Instead I would focus the entirety of my resources on creating an outstanding update for the RT. Get all first party apps to be amazing. The difference between the Windows Phone apps and RT apps that Microsoft has produced is telling. If they would just nail the first party apps like Mail, Music, Video, Calendar so forth plus great battery life and Office RT would be absolutely great. Not having updates since launch is just plain stupid.
No, they have updated firmware already two times. They’ve said better Mail is coming. If not Mail, it will be Outlook RT. We’ve read rumors about it. I hope it will be there soon
Seeing a lot of Microsoft-related complaints lately throughout the ‘sphere, anyone else notice that?
Oh Simmons, I think you are the only reason I still read this blog. Your comments crack me up. Keep it up!
Thanks Anthony, that’s refreshing to hear; typically I only see people threatening Smith to “fire” me (lol) or else they’ll unsubscribe. Joke’s on them of course as to my knowledge we don’t have an open subscription thing, on the other hand I haven’t quite taken much time to examine the site and whatever it is we do, you know? Tl;dr.
Windows 8 as a whole is a big fail IMO. Used the Surface Pro yesterday and hated it even more than RT…
Well Windows 8 is not for iTards and so called Google Shills.
Google shill on this site includes Doug Simmons
Well, I sometimes double as an Apple shill, don’t forget that. I’m a prolific shiller, but at least I had the sense way back to stop doubling down on Microsoft (blownfuse.org) and picked the right team when it was already obvious to the vaguely rational.