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Tag: Surface RT

  • Next Surface RT To Be Called Surface 2 [Rumor]

    It’s fair at this point to say the Surface RT was a failure. Microsoft’s first attempt at a tablet was designed well enough, but the limited Surface RT OS just wasn’t as desirable as the full Windows 8 experience available on the Surface Pro. Microsoft is obviously not going to let Windows RT die like everybody else has, but it might try out a new name to bolster sales.

    Neowin reports that the Surface RT’s next iteration will adopt the name Surface 2. It’s not known if the new name is in response to the negative connotations that exist alongside Windows RT, or if it’s just an attempt to simplify the name. I’m betting on the latter as Surface RT was just a stupid name, especially when compared to the much more conventional sounding Surface Pro.

    So, what can people expect from the next Surface 2? Current rumors peg the new tablet as being equipped with Nvidia’s new Tegra 4 SoC, a 1080p display and 4GB of RAM. With those specs, it would be one of the better tablets on the market.

    Of course, having good hardware is only one part of the equation. From the onset, Windows RT’s problem has always been a lack of software. It supports any and all applications built specifically for Windows 8, but isn’t backwards compatible with programs built for Windows 7 or XP. That reason alone could be why the Surface Pro, with the backwards compatible Windows 8 Pro, was much more popular.

    Still, Microsoft could turn it all around with the Surface 2. It just needs to get more developer support behind Windows RT, and the Surface RT could become a serious contender in the tablet market if the price is right. The current $350 price tag for the Surface RT is pretty good, but the Surface 2 needs to remain at that price or even drop to $300 to remain competitive.

    [Image: Microsoft Store]

  • Microsoft Offering Excess Surfaces to Schools Through Bing

    As the price cuts for both the Surface RT and the Surface Pro indicate, the Surface hasn’t challenged the iPad in the way Microsoft hoped it would. In fact, Microsoft announced a $900 million inventory adjustment charge for the millions of Surface RT tablets it now has sitting around in warehouses. The company obviously overestimated the popularity of the Surface, and now third party manufacturing partners are beginning to abandon Windows RT altogether.

    So how will Microsoft get rid of $900 million worth of Surface RTs? Offer them to educators, evidently.

    Microsoft this week announced its new “Bing for Schools” initiative. The new program will offer free Surface RT tablets to schools that use the “Bing Rewards” program. Schools that earn 30,000 Bing Rewards credits can cash them in for a free Surface RT. The credits can come from anyone signed up for Bing Rewards, including parents, with credits being put toward the school of their choice.

    The Los Angeles Unified School District and Atlanta Public Schools are already signed up as partners for the Bing for Schools pilot program. These schools will be using a special version of Bing developed specifically for education. According to Microsoft, the modified Bing will have no advertisements in its search results and will have “strict” adult content filters in place. It will also have “augmented” privacy protections.

  • Touchscreen Notebooks Reportedly Languishing

    For Microsoft, Windows 8 was supposed to bridge the gap between traditional PCs and the growing tablet market. The operating system was designed to run smoothly on tablets, sporting a tile-based home screen. Microsoft also sold manufacturers on the idea that customers would love the Windows 8 interface so much that they would want touchscreens in both their PC monitors and laptop displays.

    It’s been clear for months now that Windows 8 failed to spur growth in the traditional PC market. More recently, it has also become apparent that the Windows 8 OS was not enough to save Microsoft’s underperforming Surface tablets. Now, touchscreen manufacturers are predicting that touchscreens on laptops have not become the hit Microsoft and its partners had hoped.

    DigiTimes today reported that orders for touch panels used in notebook computers are expected to soften in the second half of 2013. The report’s unnamed “industry sources” stated that this is despite large price drops for panels during the first half of 2013. Touchscreen notebook adoption is only predicted to hit around 10% by the end of this year.

    The report mentions Windows 8 specifically as a disappointment for manufacturers, who had hoped the OS would open up a new market segment. The low demand, combined with pricing wars between Chinese manufacturers, means that notebook manufacturers are now rumored to be releasing their 2013 holiday products later than expected.

    (via DigiTimes)

  • Asus Drops Support For Windows RT

    Asus Drops Support For Windows RT

    Windows RT has not been all that successful since it first launched late last year alongside Windows 8. The new operating system was billed as a slimmed down version of Windows 8 for tablets that run on ARM-based chips and only support apps built for Windows 8. It was a good idea, but consumers didn’t bite. Manufacturers have been pulling their support over the last year, and one of the last few holdouts has finally called it quits.

    Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Asus CEO Jerry Shen says that his company will no longer create Windows RT devices due to the financial losses his company has accrued due to supporting the platform. Much like Microsoft, the company had to take a writedown on its unsold Windows RT tablets.

    Of course, Asus still values Microsoft as a partner and won’t be abandoning Windows 8 anytime soon. Shen says that his company will now exclusively focus on Intel/x86 machines. These machines run Windows 8 Pro and are backwards compatible with legacy software. Much of the criticism levied against Windows RT was that it wasn’t backwards compatible so a focus on Windows 8 Pro machines is a good bet.

    Of course, the question now is whether or not there’s anybody actually supporting Windows RT anymore. It’s hard to say at this point. Microsoft lowered the display requirement so manufacturers can make cheap 7-inch Windows RT tablets, but the only manufacturers taking advantage of the lower display requirements are focusing on Windows 8 proper.

    At this point, it looks like only Microsoft is keeping Windows RT alive. It’s already lowered the price of its current Surface RT tablet, and is even rumored to be working on an entirely new Surface RT for this holiday season. Even then, it’s hard to say how long even Microsoft will keep it up. It took a $900 million charge related to unsold Windows RT tablets during its last earnings report. Microsoft certainly has the cash to keep pushing Windows RT, but its shareholders and partners might not appreciate that very much.

    [h/t: Engadget]

  • Microsoft Drops The Surface Pro Price By $100

    Microsoft Drops The Surface Pro Price By $100

    Last month, Microsoft dropped the price of the Surface RT to $349 in an attempt to get people buying Windows RT machines again. After all, the company took a $900 million hit in unsold Surface RT devices in its last quarterly report. By all accounts, the Surface Pro is doing much better, but the $900 tablet could stand to be a little cheaper.

    Microsoft has heard your calls for a cheaper Surface Pro tablet, and has decided to drop the price by $100 for the month of August. According to the official Surface site, the price drop will remain in effect until August 29.

    The price drop means that you can now get a 64GB Surface Pro for $799, and a 128GB Surface Pro for $899. Microsoft is also offering a discounted Surface Pro bundle that comes with Office Home and Student 2013, 2-year warranty, type cover, a Surface sleeve and a screen protector for $310.

    The Verge suggests that the recent price cuts might be the heralds of new Surface models. Of course, we probably won’t see a new Surface until Windows 8.1 launches later this year. Microsoft has already stated that it has some big plans for Windows 8.1, and some new Surface models would fit well in that.

    For now though, just enjoy your slightly cheaper Surface Pro. I would argue that it could stand to be even cheaper, but a $100 discount is nothing to scoff at. If you absolutely must have a Windows 8 tablet, you can’t do much better than the Surface Pro.

  • Microsoft Cuts Surface RT’s Price To $349

    Microsoft Cuts Surface RT’s Price To $349

    Many, including yours truly, thought that Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet was a bit too expensive at $500. That price may have even been the reason why it’s not doing so well. Microsoft is hoping to rectify that with a worldwide price cut.

    Microsoft revealed today that it has cut the Surface RT’s price by $150. You can now snag a 32GB Surface RT for $349. If you desire a bit more storage, the 64GB Surface RT now retails for $449. The ridiculously overpriced type cover still goes for $129.99.

    The U.S. isn’t the only territory getting a price cut as Microsoft is also dropping the price of its Surface RT tablets in the UK and Australia as well. Our friends in the UK can get the 32GB Surface RT for £279 while those in Australia can get one for AU$389.

    Unfortunately, the Surface Pro will not be seeing a similar price cut. The $899 tablet is in dire need of a lower price as well if it’s to compete with the lower priced iPad and Android tablets that are continually taking more and more marketshare away from Windows. Microsoft may argue that the value of its tablets lie in Windows 8, but consumers just aren’t seeing it.

    That may, of course, all change when Windows 8.1 and rumored new Surface tablets launch later this year. Microsoft has just restructured itself into a company wholly focused on Windows, and Surface will play a large role in that. If Microsoft can get its message straight by promoting synergy between its products, it could make Windows 8 the winner Microsoft so desperately needs it to be.

    [h/t: Engadget]

  • Surface Pro Goes On Sale February 9, Available Online And In Stores

    Despite Microsoft’s best attempts at spin, all reports point to the Surface RT being kind of a failure as far as tablets are concerned. Fans will still defend the device, however, and tell us to wait until the Surface Pro launches. The mythical Windows 8 device will show ’em all they say. Well, it will have its chance to show us what it can do early next month.

    Microsoft announced today that the Surface Pro will be available starting February 9 from the company’s online and retail outlets, as well as from Staples and Best Buy. As reported last month, the tablet/laptop hybrid will start at $899 and come in two memory configurations – 64GB and 128GB.

    The real advantage of the Surface Pro, however, comes in the fact that it runs Windows 8 Pro instead of Windows RT. In essence, it’s an Intel i5-powered Ultrabook that just so happens to think it’s a tablet. Microsoft even includes a touch pen with the Surface Pro for those who want to do design work on the device.

    For those who want to make your Surface Pro a little more special, Microsoft will also be offering some special touch covers starting February 9. The three covers will retail for $129.99, and feature “unique laser-etched designs in three distinctive colors: red, magenta and cyan.”

    Surface Pro Goes On Sale February 9

    In addition to the touch covers, Microsoft will also be releasing a special Surface edition of the Wedge mouse that is “specifically designed to complement the Surface experience in all its forms, providing four-way Touch scrolling and easy navigation at one’s fingertips.” It will retail for $69.95 and be available on February 9.

    Surface Pro Goes On Sale February 9

    In some final news, Microsoft also announced that the Surface RT will be available in more countries in the coming weeks. Those living in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland will be able to get your Surface RT on soon. There’s no word on when these territories will get the Surface Pro.