14 DAY TRIAL // Windows RT devices, such as the Surface RT and the Surface 2, won’t get an upgrade to Windows 10, but instead Microsoft has been working on an update that brings some of the features of the new OS on these old tablets.
Today, this update has finally become available for some users, but in case you don’t see it yet, just wait a few more hours and then check in Windows Update once again.
As we’ve told you before, the so-called Windows RT 8.1 Update 3 won’t be an exciting update for Surface RT and Surface 2 users, simply because it doesn’t bring too many new features, aside from one important addition that could make working on the desktop easier.
Start menu in Windows RT
This update includes the original Start menu that Microsoft introduced in the first Windows 10 builds released as part of the Windows Insider program. Bringing the DirectUI version of the Start menu in Windows RT was the only way to go because the new version, which we now have on our PCs running Windows 10, is XAML-based and uses some APIs that are only available in the new OS.
So Windows RT doesn’t support this new tech, which means that an older Start menu is the only option for the moment. And most likely, forever.
Windows RT no longer has a future in Microsoft’s vision, and the company is very likely to pull the plug on this platform anytime soon, especially because it’s now working to bring Windows 10 on all its devices, including not only PCs but also smartphones and tablets.
Windows RT was a failed experiment, that’s for sure, and Microsoft’s now trying to get rid of it, so this update is living proof that there’s not much to do about it, as new features are impossible to be added.
Aside from the Start menu, there are no new other big changes, but expect some slight tweaks and performance improvements to be included too.