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You probably know that Windows 8 comes in two different versions — Basic x86 Windows (this is what you use now) and Windows RT. They have similar names. They look the same. But there are serious differences between the two — ones you should know about before you plunk down your cold hard cash on a Microsoft tablet.
Surface — and other Windows tablets that follow it — will come in both Windows RT and full Windows variants. Which is great! More choice is always better. The problem you’re going to run into, though, is that the gap between RT and x86 is as wide as that between iOS and OS X — except the two Windows offerings look exactly the same at first blush.
There are a ton of benefits to using RT, like better battery life, lighter weight devices, cheaper price points. But there are limitations, too. Here are a few of the big ones.
The most basic way that Windows RT hamstrings you is also the most comprehensive: You cannot run many of the same programs that you do on your regular desktop PC. And the apps you can use have to be updated to run in Metro/Modern/whatever on RT.
For a lot of basic tasks, that’s not an issue. Especially not for students, since RT comes with a free, full version of Office 2013. But the absence of legacy software will be a problem for anyone else who’s bought into the Windows ecosystem over the decades and expects their programs to work across their devices. They won’t. The full x86 Windows tablets — like the Surface launching three months from now — can run basically any Windows program you’ve bought in the last several years.
Bottom line: If you’re someone who needs specific programs for work — even something basic like Photoshop — you’re going to have to hold off on an RT machine.
This one should be just a temporary snag, but the app selection for Windows RT isn’t as robust as you’re used to. In addition to not running legacy x86 apps, the OS can also only install apps through the Windows Store. So, all of those certification issues that you’ve heard from the gaming side of things? While they won’t matter all that much on regular Windows 8 (which can grab programs from anywhere), they could severely limit the apps that you’ll see on the RT platform for a while.
Right now, there are 5,562 total apps in the Windows Store worldwide and 94 per cent of them are Windows RT compatible. That’s a decent number, and includes support from heavy hitters like Netflix, Evernote, and Amazon. The top-notch first party services from Microsoft help too. But Android 3.0 Honeycomb got rightly skewered for having such a lackluster offering of available tablet apps, and RT’s numbers are in the same ballpark. Among the missing notables: Twitter, Facebook, and Spotify. Again, x86 Windows tablets won’t have this problem; they can run anything that works on your desktop today.
Thankfully, RT does come with that full Office 13 suite. Office RT will include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, and syncs your documents over SkyDrive.
A lot’s been made about the Windows Store predominance moving Microsoft away from Windows being an open platform. Full Windows 8 is going to remain more or less the same — you can still download an app from anywhere and install it, without going through any official Microsoft channels. But buying and installing stuff on RT devices is pretty much like doing so on an iOS device: It only works through Microsoft’s Windows Store. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but it’s different. And it’s going to rub a few people the wrong way.
There’s a chance you’ll be able to sideload apps through Windows RT architecture — you can on Windows Phone 8 — but it will likely be more trouble than it’s worth.
If you use Windows Media Center as your home DVR, you’re also going to need an x86 machine to control it, since RT doesn’t work with WMC. It also doesn’t come with Windows Media Player, but that’s not a big deal since the onboard media players will handle most of that load.
Business users — of which Microsoft has more than a few — should be particularly wary of RT. Most importantly: You cannot use Windows RT with a Windows Active Directory domain. So if you need AD to be active for work, you’ve got to go x86.
You also won’t get Outlook with your RT Office 2013, so you’ll have to use Mail and Calendar to sync up with Exchange. That’s not a huge compromise, but with how rigid some offices are about keeping everything standard, it could be a deal breaker. And the apps you do get with Office 2013 will have to be activated for use in a business setting.
For most casual consumers, the folks who want to use their Windows tablet like they would an iPad, Surface should be plenty fine — especially once Microsoft gets that app store populated. But Microsoft hasn’t done a particularly good job explaining the difference between RT and x86, even to its own employees. And the differences that might not matter to one person might be a deal-breaker for others.
That list looks worryingly fair. Out of interest, would Photoshop run very well on the kind of low power x86 chips we will be getting in the pro?
For me it’s a simple choice, most of my x86 only programs like games and transcoders. Things which I’d really have to be in a pinch to try and run on tablet hardware.
Photshop would run really badly on the pro due to the pros integrated graphics.
No AD domain? No Outlook? Whoa.
Foot, shot.
I could see many businesses using these things as a mobile messenger, a ‘meeting pad’, a PDA, possibly even running PowerPoint presentations off them. A potentially useful, inexpensive, multi-purpose device. Not any more.
Fair enough, these features should cost more, and shouldn’t be forced upon everyone who buys RT, but at least make them an option.
Its called the Surface Pro
Oh sure, but for a lot more money. Trying to persuade a company to buy a tablet that costs as much as the laptops they’ve been buying for years?
Tough sell.
You have some inside info on how much the Pro will cost do you?
In Microsoft’s own words, ‘comparable to an Ultrabook’. Pretty sure that comment has been reproduced on Gizmodo at some point…
Depends on the use – recently I’ve seen people trying to balance a laptop on their arm on someone’s doorstep doing surveys and so on. For many businesses the cost being comparable won’t matter as the usability for its staff is more important and they’d be budgeting for laptops anyway.
Totally agree, but then you’re looking at a niche use. Most company’s needs aren’t that specific.
I’m saying that I could see these things being attractive to vast swathes of business users, if the conditions were right. Much more so than an iPad.
‘companies’ needs’
Sorry, I should proof read my comments before hitting ‘submit’.
That’s true, at least businesses will have more of a choice now, without having to drastically change the software they use.
All people have to realise is
RT vs iPad
Pro vs Ultrabook
Then they are fine. If you compare RT vs laptops of course its going to come off 2nd best..
And that’s the problem. Most folks who aren’t tech savvy wouldn’t be able to make that comparison. MS haven’t done themselves any favours.
It’s worth noting that like on Windows Phone, social media like Facebook and Twitter are integrated into the People app and this actually works quite well. Only major missing app from my point is Spotify, which is quite a big deal for me.
If Gizmodo compares Surface RT with Surface PRO them please write a review comparing an iPad with a Macbook. I am sure that the x86/x64 aplicatons that run on a Macbook will not run on the iPad…. Or the idea behind this review is to steer the people’s opinion against Microsoft Surface….
We all know gizmodo is heavily apple biased. But I really think they should have make it very clear to the public that RT is just a tablet and Pro is actually a tablet shaped pc.
Non tech savvy people have a really hard time when they need to figure such things out by themselves.
It’s a review of Windows 8. That’s the main problem with Microsoft’s approach – they started out by trying to build a one-size-fits-all product.
They got close, but not as close as their marketing makes out.
Just to make my post more clear. By “they should maje it very clear” I mean MS.
Well, I think MS makes it clear…
http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-US/surface-with-windows-rt/help-me-choose
Surface Pro is looking very attractive to me… I’ve always liked the idea of a tablet running a full “proper” OS. Anyone got any idea what the price mark up will be?
I know that you can get an Iconia Tab W700 (Intel Core i3/i5,HD4000 like the SPro) for $800. But apparently the SPro is gonna be around $1200 for the 128GB version, so probably £1000.