News - Windows 8, Windows Phone and Windows RT: one faces the chop

[HEXUS]

Julie Larson-Green suggests that two’s company, three’s a crowd.

Read more.

[crossy]

Most commentators think that of the current Windows 8, Windows Phone and Windows RT – the latter two will be merged, sharing a common app platform and making Windows on mobiles and tablets a more powerful OS.

iOS and Android both manage to make a "phone" OS run fine on a tablet, so why the heck can't Microsoft? Windows RT always struck me as a pointless product - heck there's even been other comments today that you can get a "proper" Windows tablet for the price of an RT device, and I can't think of any reason - other than perhaps slightly better battery life - why I'd pick an RT device over "proper" Windows.

Windows ARM tablets just need a version of the phone OS that can deal with the larger screen.

[peterb]

Yes, but where Apple were quite clever was with a clear differentiation between the desktop Operating system, designed more for keyboard/mouse, and the tablet/phone OS designed more for touch screen.

Microsoft's 'one size fits all' trying to bring the touch screen paradigm to the desktop was probably a mistake, and as the spokesperson says, made it hard to differentiate between them.

[anselhelm]

Now if ONLY Microsoft could then clearly separate its mobile and desktop OSes, completely removing Metro from desktop life.

A man can dream.

[kingpotnoodle]

If RT and Phone aren't headed for a merge I will eat my shorts, it seems like a 100% logical move to me and it's probably just down to internal politics and competing teams.

[jimbouk]

heck there's even been other comments today that you can get a "proper" Windows tablet for the price of an RT device, and I can't think of any reason - other than perhaps slightly better battery life - why I'd pick an RT device over "proper" Windows.

Asus Transformer Book T100TA. Windows RT is dead. Let us all move on.

[Spud1]

If RT and Phone aren't headed for a merge I will eat my shorts, it seems like a 100% logical move to me and it's probably just down to internal politics and competing teams.

This - personally I believe there are TWO up for the chop..Windows Phone and RT. Windows phone just wouldn't work on a tablet (heck it doesn't work very well as a phone OS), whereas RT does work as a business focussed tablet OS and would translate well to a phone as well.

It's also likely to be a heck of a lot easier to port apps that way so you could truely "write once, deploy anywhere" for Microsoft devices..and in fact, putting aside my dislike of Windows Phone - thats got to be the main reason why Phone is the one that will be axed...

Currently you write a metro app for Windows 8 and it's guaranteed to work on Windows 8 and 8 RT - but it won't work on Phone. Same goes for writing an app for Phone - it won't run on 8 or RT. Now given that the vast majority of Windows Phones are fairly low spec devices, and RT tablets/Full Fat Windows machines are in the more powerful bracket...it would likely to be much easier to emulate old windows phone apps (or simply recompile them) for RT instead. RT may itself be re-branded as Windows Phone 9 or something, as the brand itself seems to have failed...but I think the OS itself will live on.

All the recent Microsoft advertising has focussed on the "one platform" aspect which is their big strength - Windows phone just sits there all on its own missing out on the action.

I am still using my Surface RT daily and have done since I got it - my use case fits it perfectly...8-10 hour battery life with constant use? Even the new Surface Pros can't come close to that, and until battery and power consumption technology for x86 devices gets to that sort of level, there is a market for this sort of device. Plus once jailbroken you can run a huge library of x86 software either via emulation (ok so this is slow and a bit rubbish) or by a recompile....They would be mad to kill it off so soon.

Crossy - you are right though - battery life is the number one reason I use my surface RT so much..and that combined with the pricing/hardware quality is why I impulse bought one, despite being as anti-RT as the next man before owning one.

A merger of WP and RT makes much more sense


edit: just to add though that I by no means am trying to claim that RT is a better option than "full" windows and I will definitely ditch my surface RT when I can find an equivalent "full fat windows" device that offers the same battery life, quality and flexibility...the new Asus 2-in-1 device looks interesting and close to this, but isn't quite there yet. Another 12 months though and who knows....

[valhar2000]

In recent history Windows Phone 7.X users were left disappointed by Microsoft not supporting their mobile hardware with the introduction of Windows Phone 8.

That's curious. I was actually very pleased by their policy. Then again, this may have been a reaction to my experience with Apple (they claimed that newer versions of iOS were compatible with my phone, but they ran so badly that my iPhone was, effectively, bricked).

The last update for Windows Phone 7 implemented some of the UI features of 8, and it runs even better and more reliably than the previous versions, so I'm happy with. If I want version 8, I'll buy a new phone.

[Spud1]

Yes, but where Apple were quite clever was with a clear differentiation between the desktop Operating system, designed more for keyboard/mouse, and the tablet/phone OS designed more for touch screen.

Microsoft's 'one size fits all' trying to bring the touch screen paradigm to the desktop was probably a mistake, and as the spokesperson says, made it hard to differentiate between them.

I tend to disagree with this - insofar as although I am not a big fan of metro on the desktop, I think the general direction Microsoft are pushing for could really save them. Apple are undoubtably going to incorporate the iOS runtimes into their next OS, and Microsoft have got a little bit of a head start.

You don't have to integrate *everything*, and you can do much of it via cloud services anyway..but taking my use case again. I can be sat at my desk working on a document in full, x86 office. I then get dragged in to a meeting, bring my surface with me and can sit in the corner and carry on working on the same document, again with full (but arm) office. All synced via skydrive yes, but the user experience is the same..I don't have to load up an inferior "mobile" office app or fight with google docs, I get the same experience on both devices.

If you can stomach using Metro apps then this experience extends outside of Office too - but you do have to find one first I'm looking forward to seeing how this evolves..sadly I think the one big mistake Microsoft are making is that they plan to completely kill off the desktop from future iterations of windows - starting with the next update to RT. The IT community just isn't ready for such major surgery just yet imo.

[teko03]

Yes, but where Apple were quite clever was with a clear differentiation between the desktop Operating system, designed more for keyboard/mouse, and the tablet/phone OS designed more for touch screen.

Microsoft's 'one size fits all' trying to bring the touch screen paradigm to the desktop was probably a mistake, and as the spokesperson says, made it hard to differentiate between them.

I don't think it's a mistake, but just poorly executed in Windows 8. I honestly don't see the modern UI ever leaving Windows, but I do see them improving how they intergrate the two.

[crossy]

I don't think it's a mistake, but just poorly executed in Windows 8. I honestly don't see the modern UI ever leaving Windows, but I do see them improving how they intergrate the two.

No, MUI's here to stay - but like you I'm quietly impressed when I see what it does being done well. Problem is - for me at least - that there's enough stupidity in it's implementation to make using it a jarring experience. If they get those "kinks" out then it could be very good.

I'm particularly impressed with the Windows Phone 8 implementation though - I like clean, fast interfaces and that's both. If they have some decent Lumia's available when I decide to switch then I will be very tempted.

[fuddam]

Windows Phone 8 is the best phone OS out there, bar none. Others have more market share, of course, but for intuitive, fast OS, it rules.

'nuff said.

[DanceswithUnix]

Well here is an interesting article, seems ChromeOS is doing way way better than I thought it was:

http://www.dailytech.com/Fed+Up+With...ticle33831.htm

So I guess Microsoft are trying to FUD the competition whilst flapping around clueless as to what they are doing with their own platform.

[jimbouk]

http://www.dailytech.com/Fed+Up+With...ticle33831.htm

Wowsers, I'd never think Microsoft would promote being able to install iTunes as a justification for purchasing a Windows laptop. Something went seriously wrong there.

[DanceswithUnix]

Wowsers, I'd never think Microsoft would promote being able to install iTunes as a justification for purchasing a Windows laptop. Something went seriously wrong there.

Well I guess they need some common large storage use case, and "32GB? You can't store much pr0n on that" might not be so acceptable

[crossy]

Asus Transformer Book T100TA. Windows RT is dead. Let us all move on.

Nice machine, and at £349 it's cheaper than the Surface2 plus has the keyboard. Tempted to get one of these for my missus to replace her webOS Touchpad - whack in a 32GB uSD and that'd be plenty for her.

Well here is an interesting article, seems ChromeOS is doing way way better than I thought it was:
http://www.dailytech.com/Fed+Up+With...ticle33831.htm
So I guess Microsoft are trying to FUD the competition whilst flapping around clueless as to what they are doing with their own platform.

And of course there's the reports of temperature-related screen dimming problems with the Surface2 (as detailed here and elsewhere).

Then again, I really don't get the current interest in Chromebooks - I'd much prefer a decent Android tablet. Like the looks of that HP Chromebook in the article though.

Wowsers, I'd never think Microsoft would promote being able to install iTunes as a justification for purchasing a Windows laptop. Something went seriously wrong there.

Well I guess they need some common large storage use case, and "32GB? You can't store much pr0n on that" might not be so acceptable

Ah yes, Microsoft should be pointing out that the Surface/Surface2 are so much more suitable for a pr0n user with their expandable storage - either via uSD for the light consumer, or via USB3 crate for the more serious ... "connoisseur".