14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft recently decided to kill the last two devices running Windows RT, namely the Surface RT and the Lumia 2520, so everyone thought that this was also the end of the tablet-oriented operating system that always failed to impress.
And still, it appears that Microsoft is not yet ready to kill Windows RT, as the company has recently said in a statement for GeekWire that updates for this particular operating system will still be released.
“As Terry Myerson shared on stage on January 21, Microsoft is working on an update for Windows RT, and will have more to share later. ARM devices will continue to be a crucial part of the range of devices Windows 10 supports, with an optimized experience for ARM-based phones, phablets and small tablets up to 8 inches,” a company spokesperson says.
So, what does this mean? Is Microsoft working on a new Windows RT device? Probably not, as Microsoft is now trying to bring its key platforms together in order to offer a similar Windows 10 experience on all of them, without any impact on the user experience.
ARM will continue to exist
But ARM certainly has a place in Microsoft’s lineup, and small tablets or phones with this configuration could indeed be launched at some point in the future.
2015 is going to be a really busy year for Microsoft, as the company is expected to launch not only new phones but also new tablets, so ARM is most likely part of these plans as well. But Windows RT as a platform might not survive beyond the Windows 10 launch, so it remains to be seen what’s actually going to happen with the Surface 2 and the Surface RT.
Microsoft is set to launch a new Surface, possibly called Surface 4, later this year, but no RT version is expected this time, as the new Windows 10 OS version will merge the tablet and smartphone SKUs into a single one powering both types of devices.