All models of the Microsoft Surface 2 tablet running Windows RT have gone out of stock on the company's online store, suggesting the device may be discontinued.
The Microsoft Surface 2 made its debut back in 2013, running the company's Windows RT operating system. Microsoft designed this watered-down version of Windows with low-power ARM chips in mind, but RT-powered devices failed to see much success. Consumers found Windows RT to be insufficient, confusing, weak, and the Surface RT and Surface 2 tablets didn't exactly fly off store shelves.
To make things even worse, the Surface 2 will not see an upgrade to Microsoft's latest Windows 10 OS version. The new Windows 10 will come as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users, but Windows RT is not invited to the party. The out-of-stock status of the tablet follows the news that Windows 10 will not be available for Windows RT devices.
More specifically, Microsoft confirmed in a statement to The Verge on Thursday, Jan. 22, that Windows RT devices are not eligible for Windows 10 upgrades.
"In a statement provided to The Verge, Microsoft confirms the Surface Pro 3 and 'entire Surface Pro lineup' will get the update to Windows 10, but Windows RT won't get the full OS. "We are working on an update for [the RT version of] Surface, which will have some of the functionality of Windows 10. More information to come," a Microsoft spokesperson told the publication. CNET got a similar statement.
The company representative didn't go into specifics, but it could mean that Microsoft could roll out some of the Windows 10 universal apps to Windows RT. When Windows Phone 7 was left out in the cold in terms of upgrades, for instance, Microsoft deployed a Windows Phone 7.8 update to deliver some functionality, although most new features were available only on Windows Phone 8 devices. Windows RT could see a similar solution, albeit it remains unclear at this point.
Considering that the Surface 2 went out of stock on the company's online store shortly after Microsoft confirmed that Windows 10 will not be available for Windows RT devices, it may be a clear sign that Microsoft may discontinue the tablet.
All configurations of the Windows RT-powered Surface 2 now appear as out of stock on Microsoft's online store, and it remains unclear at this point whether the company will ever replenish stock of the tablet. Is this the end of Surface RT?
