Microsoft has provided more details about the improvements to be made to Surface RT

Jun 5, 2013 08:26 GMT  ·  By

Just as expected, the Windows Blue product update cycle that’s expected to kick off in less than 30 days will also bring a number of improvements to Surface tablets.

Since only little was known until now, the Softies have finally decided to provide more information on the upgrades the next Windows release is going to bring to the Surface RT.

First of all, the company has confirmed that Outlook 2013 RT will indeed be released very soon, thus providing users with new and more powerful email client on their Windows RT tablet.

“I am thrilled for myself, for Edie’s colleague, and for everyone else who really likes Outlook to point out that all Surface RT users will get Outlook 2013 RT, alongside a lot of other cool stuff coming with Windows 8.1. Tami Reller announced this just recently at Computex,” Brian Hall, general manager of the Microsoft Surface, said today.

“This means that in addition to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, which all Surface RT users already have, their Surface will get Outlook 2013 RT as part of Windows 8.1 for free via the Windows Store.”

In addition, Hall confirmed that Windows 8.1 would indeed bring improved VPN support, most likely following customer feedback after the October 2012 launch.

Better VPN connectivity was among the most requested features for Surface RT tablets, so Microsoft is most likely trying to show everyone that it really cares about what its users are saying.

“Surface RT with Windows 8.1 will have strong mobile device management capabilities. This will let the IT department manage some settings, give certificates, and protect data, even if it’s my personal system if I want to let them do that to get access to work resources,” Hall explained.

In addition to all these improvements, Microsoft is also believed to be working on the second-generation Surface tablet that’s very like to include a smaller unit featuring 8-inch screens.