Windows Surface RT sold way below its forecasted estimates of 3 million units and sold only around 1 million instead. Acer is just about due to release a Windows RT tablet of its own later this year, but will it sell after the slow start?
Windows RT is a lighter version of Windows and was designed for ARM-powered devices. Most devices running the full version of Windows OS, such as Windows 7 or 8, run on x86-powered devices. The lack of full access to the Windows software almost makes Windows RT seem inadequate to consumers. Windows RT can only run apps from the Windows store, unlike Windows 8, which is capable of running any application.
Although Acer will go along with creating a Windows RT-based device, "The plan for an RT tablet is ongoing. To be honest, there's no value doing the current version of RT," President of Acer Jim Wing said.
As reported by TechCrunch, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President for Windows Julie Larson-Green admitted that Windows RT is not what it used to be. The reason why consumers are rejecting Windows RT is due to the lack of understanding what Windows RT has to offer, she said.
"I think we have some work to do on explaining it to people because it's different. They're just so used to Windows meaning backward compatibility in all the programs that you use today. I use Surface RT as my main computing device, I connect to a corporate network using my virtual smart card and VPN when I need to, Office is already on there [...] it's just a simpler experience and then the Surface Pro has the flexibility if you want to work on the details," Larson-Green said.
