14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft confirmed on Wednesday that Windows 10 would be available for all devices, including PCs, tablets, and smartphones, but the company intentionally omitted one platform that seems to have no future in its lineup.
Windows RT, which debuted in October 2012 on the Surface RT and was then updated with the Windows 8.1 release, is more or less dead, since Windows 10 will be designed to power all kinds of devices, including tablets and smartphones.
And in a statement released today, Microsoft sort of confirms that Windows RT won't get the full Windows 10 experience but only some features. What exactly these features are is yet to be disclosed, but more could be provided in the coming months.
“We are working on an update for [the Windows RT version of] Surface, which will have some of the functionality of Windows 10. More information to come,” the company says in a statement.
Windows 10 on tablets and smartphones too
With Windows 10, Microsoft sort of made Windows RT obsolete because the same version of Windows is available on all devices, including tablets and smartphones.
Basically, users get the power of Windows 10, without a desktop, of course, on their tablets and smartphones with the help of universal apps and a redesigned Modern UI that tries to provide the same experience as on the full version of the operating system.
Windows RT faced intense criticism from users across the world, especially because it did come with a desktop but lacked support for x86 and x64 applications.
Only Modern apps could be installed on Windows RT and this convinced many users to stay away from devices powered by this particular OS version, including here the Surface RT and the Surface 2.
Eventually, several manufacturers, among which Samsung, also stopped building Windows RT devices, citing the lack of demand for such tablets as the main reason.
Microsoft now seems ready to do pretty much the same thing, so if you're on Windows RT right now, you will only get a new Windows 10 on your device.