Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
This.

However I haven't met a person who actually cares about metro apps.

I care about Metro apps, but only specific ones that make sense to have touch optimization. I think the whole ipad introduction into the world made people think they could write their masters thesis while standing on the subway train. So we went thru this revolution of "apps", basically computer programs made stupid. "Apps" are a good thing in many circumstances, light web browsing, looking at pictures, light picture editing, gaming, news, etc etc. These are the things I like Metro for. But I am VERY happy that when I need to get down to serious computing I have the desktop and legacy programs to fall back on.
 
The problem is that it is just as worthless (and doomed) a device at $200 as it was at $500.
Yeah, we get it. You don't like the Surface RT. No device is universally useful to everyone. You've made it abundantly clear that the RT is not useful to you. Claiming that it is worthless in spite of people using it in ways that are not possible to do with an iPad is nothing more than a reflection of how you use your devices.
 
spinedoc hit the nail on the head... it's just about on par with ARM when it comes to packaging, battery life, performance and so on. Unlike what you wrote, Bay Trail is fanless, no battery compromises, no performance penalties, not thicker or heavier and so on. Except for one thing: when you want to run a native Windows app, you can.

As far as malware and so on... you're missing the point. For someone who wants laptop functionality sometimes and tablet experience most of the time it's perfect. Why have a tablet and a laptop when you can kill two birds with one stone for the same price?

The Dell Venue 8 Pro example is a perfect one. You'd use it as a tablet when you're on the go and when you're at home and need productivity, plug it into your USB hub with a monitor, keyboard and mouse and all of the sudden you have a desktop. When I'm traveling this would be perfect, even if using a native app isn't perfect on an 8" screen, you can use a stylus and get by.

Let me give you a simple example of why I'm considering buying one. When I'm racing and use a GoPro & QStarz (among other instrumentation), I can review everything without lugging a laptop. If I want to take the GoPro video and throw it into Movie Maker for some quick editing and upload it to YouTube, no problem. This is something I CAN"T do with a tablet, both iOS and Android. QStarz has no software for these devices and the movie editing software is extremely limited.

Here's another: when I go on vacation I don't need to lug around a laptop with me, if I have the power of a tablet and a laptop in one. 99% I really just need a tablet but bring the laptop with me just in case.

If you like to remote into your home or office and require certain VPN software... install it and RDP into your machine.

If you're used to working in Photoshop, GIMP or Paint.NET and need some advanced features while you're on the road... booyah.

I'm sure there are a million uses. That's the reason we all have laptops. A tablet is a secondary device. With the "Windows Pro" tablets it can be both.

Well said...

I think if some want to give up the phenomenal option of having the desktop, thousands of legacy programs and the functionality those programs offer over their app versions (which is rare if there even is an app version) for the exchange of the miniscule chance of getting malware, well I'm all for choice and can't blame them. I'd say they should consider putting Metro ONLY on their desktops and laptops as well to protect them from Malware.

----------

The problem is that it is just as worthless (and doomed) a device at $200 as it was at $500.

----------



By what measure are they dominant?

----------



The thing people seem to forget in these comparisons is that there is another tablet OS out at the moment which does not have a lot of the limitations that iPad has.

Limitations that Windows RT is supposedly the cure for - better multitasking, ability to display more than one app on screen, support for USB memory, mice, keyboards and game controllers, full filesystem access and file managers, easy sharing of files and data between apps, less restrictive policy on apps, multiple user accounts, expandable storage, and more.

It's called Android and it already has 70% of the tablet market worldwide and it is being improved and attracting developers at a much more rapid pace than Windows RT is.

Hehe, yeah it's doomed at $200 also. The xbox is one of 2 dominant gaming systems, the other being the Playstation. I don't believe any other gaming system can be considered dominant like these 2, although Nintendo is probably a distant 3rd.

As for Android, it's a great option. For me it's still seriously lacking though, but then I'm very ingrained into the Windows ecosystem. I think Android has a MUCH higher chance of becoming mainstream on things like desktops than iOS does, but why does Google fracture their own market with Chrome?

Anyhow, I would (and do) choose windows on a x86 tablet any day of the week over Android, but honestly Android is definitely making some great strides and I can't blame anyone for going that route. iOS on the other hand is still a toy OS that shouldn't even factor other than doing consumption type stuff.
 
I thought about it but scored a Venue 8 Pro 32gb for $220 tax included. It's an awesome tablet at full price so I couldn't pass up that deal.
 
no since I know Microsoft is gonna discontinued windows RT version. However, I almost did.

Thought about it too. But I'm worried about RT getting the boot too. I have a MacBook Pro and iPad anyway. I just throw them in a bag and walk out the door.

People can complain all they want about it not being ideal to work on, but the fact is that I've already invested $300+ in apps for the iPad, plus the additional hardware. I would be stupid to let that all go just to get a better device to deal with it all.

I would never buy anything "RT" related. It's a dead OS and Microsoft will drop it. The only Surface tablet anyone should even think about is one that operates on Windows 8.1.

Well, yes and no.

They're going to keep updating Windows RT until at least 2015, when they plan to unify every OS even more. Whether or not it keeps the Windows RT name is questionable after that. They don't seem like they're going to be stopping the updates for the Surface RT, though. They're supporting it until 2017, as per their schedule. :\
 
They don't seem like they're going to be stopping the updates for the Surface RT, though. They're supporting it until 2017, as per their schedule. :\

Support can mean a number of things - it could just mean they will provide security patches and bug fixes for that time period, it does not necessarily mean they will add features or promote it in any way.
 
Ballmer said. "We are going to immerse people in deep entertainment experiences that let them have serious fun in ways so intense and delightful that they will blur the line between reality and fantasy."

Lol, I got a chuckle out of this.

I'm sure he means something a lot less face palm.
 
Yeah, we get it. You don't like the Surface RT. No device is universally useful to everyone. You've made it abundantly clear that the RT is not useful to you. Claiming that it is worthless in spite of people using it in ways that are not possible to do with an iPad is nothing more than a reflection of how you use your devices.

Agreed. My wife and I haven't touched the laptop (Thinkpad) since purchasing a Surface 2. We don't use any legacy apps other than Office which is included with the RT. We like staying in Metro simply for emails, Flipboard, Facebook, other news, and general browsing. Yesterday, I rebalanced my portfolio from the couch, sent a couple of emails, reviewed a document in Word, wrote down a few reminders in OneNote, and then watched a movie with my wife in bed.

My parents have been using a Surface RT and ditched their cheap 15" laptop for good. All they do is read foreign newspapers (which use Flash and don't render properly on any other tablet we tried) in the browser, write a couple of emails here and there, write letters in Word, and Skype.

There are definitely people who need laptops and legacy apps. If you are one of them, then a Surface 2 doesn't make sense if you are looking for just one device. I am guessing most people are becoming like my parents and me...people who don't use legacy apps ever.

Fact is I will never purchase a traditional laptop again. My wife and I don't need one. Why waste any money on shiny laptops (and I used to buy every new Mac desktop/laptop for almost two decades until I bought my Thinkpad two years ago) when I can just get a tablet and get everything that I need done? Running legacy apps on an Atom processor, 2GB RAM, and a 8" screen is a complete waste of time to us. Not only is the experience half-a**, it's just not useful. Basically, sacrificing legacy apps means absolutely nothing to my wife and me.

I rather spend the money on a Surface 2 for better build quality, full sized USB 3.0 (which I use extensively), the convenient covers, and a larger screen than a Venue 8" Pro. The market for a traditional desktop environment is only shrinking as more people realize that they probably never needed a laptop in the first place.

There is a definite buzz among my friends and coworkers about the Surface 2. Microsoft is right on transitioning from the traditional desktop for tablets. My friends have been trying to purchase one, and the Surface 2 has been sold out at Best Buy and Microsoft online for the past week or so. These are great devices. The fact that they don't happen to fit some people's idea of gadget utopia is fine, but frankly, I have enjoyed using my Surface 2 so much that I can't see myself spending any more money on traditional PCs.
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.