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So, with the new price, should you consider buying a Windows Surface RT tablet? Well, it depends. If all you need is access to media and must<\/i> have the widest range of apps possible, you\u2019d probably be happier with the (more expensive) iPad. Or a good Android tablet. However there are good reasons to get the RT.<\/p>\n
If, you use a moderate<\/em> range of apps and really want access to Microsoft Office (for moderate use), then I think the RT is for you. I say \u201cmoderate use\u201d on the Office software use because no iPad-sized tablet will ever fully replace your laptop. I still think when you travel for work you should bring both a laptop and tablet (I write about that here<\/a>).<\/p>\n Get a Windows 8 Pro Tablet?<\/b><\/p>\n Of course, a lightweight Atom-based Windows Pro<\/b> tablet (like the Lenovo Tablet PC 2<\/a>, which I use) goes well beyond Surface RT. But it is currently at least twice the price. That said, if you do not need an RT right now, it will be interesting to see if the price of Atom-based Windows 8 Pro tablets drops in the next 6 months. Some people say they will drop below $400 while increasing in power. And by the way, I would not get the current Surface<\/b> Pro<\/b> tablet if you want a iPad-weight tablet, or one of the hybrids like the Lenovo Yoga. They’re too heavy to be a true tablet, and while they make nice laptops, they’ll all be getting new chips<\/a> in a few months.<\/p>\n Wait for the next Surface RT version? Comes with Outlook Of course, the Surface RT is a year old now; so should you wait for the next model? Though not announced yet, I bet there will be a new one in time for Christmas, so probably best to wait. But who knows if the $350 price will continue once the current model sells out. I suspect it will, but no way to tell. The new ones will probably be a lot faster. And the real juice in Surface RT comes with the Windows 8.1 release, since it includes a complete copy of Microsoft Outlook<\/a>\u2014and the new RT will certainly ship with 8.1. But if you want to take a chance now, upgrading the OS is supposedly not that hard to do.<\/p>\n The Trouble with RT<\/b><\/p>\n There have been a lot of PC folks dumping on the RT, saying it\u2019s too limited. But I think the trouble with RT is not that it\u2019s too limited<\/em>. It\u2019s is a perception<\/i> issue. Here’s why: When you launch the Windows desktop in RT, it looks like regular Windows, but it immediately appears broken. You can\u2019t install other software there; you only really have Office and IE. You can\u2019t install add-ins to IE. And of course Office and IE runs slower than on a real Windows PC. So you get frustrated if you are comparing it to a PC. \u00a0If Microsoft had designed the RT Office apps to launch in a non-desktop<\/i> environment, one that was clearly different from regular Windows, I think the critics would be muted. Imagine an iPad that ran all the complete Office apps\u2014wow! But the critics obsess on the hamstrung desktop, ignoring that the RT is now very low cost, goes well beyond iPad\u2019s features (except for app count), has a fantastic keyboard cover available, and runs Office. Again, it\u2019s a perception issue.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n So, in conclusion, yes, if you need something now, I would definitely consider a Windows Surface RT, if the use cases I described in the first part of this article match your needs. But if you can wait, I’d watch to see how new models due out in the next six months look. With new chips<\/a> due out you’ll see a lot of changes.<\/p>\n Michael Linenberger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" July 30, 2013 You may be seeing the commercials on TV that show a Windows Surface Tablet compared to an iPad. These are newer than the one I covered in my last newsletter, and better I think. They show how … Continue reading
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