Tablets with RT see slow sales

Researchers at IDC said manufacturers shipped 200,000 tablets running Windows RT, the special version of Windows for iPad-style tablets, in the January to March period. That's down from about 900,000 shipped in the fourth quarter.

Microsoft's market share was 1.8 percent, with 900,000 Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets shipped. It's at No. 5, behind AsusTek and Amazon.


Tablets with Windows RT see slow sales, research firm IDC says | Fox News
 
Researchers at IDC said manufacturers shipped 200,000 tablets running Windows RT, the special version of Windows for iPad-style tablets, in the January to March period. That's down from about 900,000 shipped in the fourth quarter.

Microsoft's market share was 1.8 percent, with 900,000 Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets shipped. It's at No. 5, behind AsusTek and Amazon.

Whenever I hear the word "Windows" (yes, the OS) , it reminds me of work (as in office work). Most people buy a tablet for entertainment --- reading books, games, movies, etc. I'm sure Windows tablets are also capable of doing those stuff and more, but people want to see something different from what we are used to see at work. Personally, if I have 2 windows PCs at home, why would I get a windows tablet? I would get something else. Something more fun and different. I am happy with ny Nexus 7 and iPad2 (no I am not gonna upgrade to iPad3... enough..) :D
 

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I can't speak for others, but I can speak for myself.

My venture into windows 8 tablets started with an RT device. I was happy with it for about a week. Then I needed to print out something. I was lazy at the time to do so from my desktop, so I tried to print from my RT device. Couldn't find a printer driver for my new Samsung laser printer.

So, I called Samsung tech support. Told them the model of my printer and specifically emphasized that I had an RT device. The tech support guy linked me to the driver download page for windows 8 driver. I politely and calmly told him again that I had an RT device and that the exe file he linked me to wouldn't work. He said windows 8 and RT were the same thing and so the driver for 8 should work for RT. Again, very calmly and politely, I explained to him that the two run on different processor architecture. One is intel and the other ARM. He continued to insist that all I had to do was double click the exe file because RT and 8 were the same.

I got a little frustrated, so I asked to speak to another tech. So, another guy came on. I explained to him my situation very calmly and politely, that a driver compiled for windows 8 would not work for windows RT. I was looking for one for RT. He proceeded to explain to me (tried as best as he could to use big words... um... I'm an engineer...) that the only difference between windows 8 and RT was the name. He even tried to compare it to windows 7 home edition vs windows 7 pro.

I knew I wasn't going to get anywhere with them, so I played dumb, thanked them, and hung up.

I then emailed Microsoft support. Emphasized several times in my email saying my device was RT, NOT windows 8. Promptly got a reply from a tech dude linking me to the driver download page for windows 8. I emailed him back and reminded him that my device was RT, not windows 8.

The next email from the MS support was jaw dropping. He replied telling me windows 8 and RT were the same and that a driver for one should work for the other.

Shortly after that reply, I got another one. This time, he suggested perhaps my printer wasn't supported by windows RT. So, I'm guessing he caught onto his mistake or someone told him after he sent out the previous reply.

I promptly returned my RT device right after that. It wasn't because I couldn't print from my RT device. It was because if 2 Samsung tech dudes and 1 MS tech dude thought RT and 8 were the same, then RT is dead on arrival. Why? How could it possibly get the support it needed if nobody knew it was different than 8?

Don't get me wrong. Windows RT was great to use. I loved it. It's weakness, however, is it too closely resembling windows 8. If you look at the reviews of RT online, most criticisms revolve around the fact that RT couldn't run legacy apps. These numbskulls couldn't get it through their heads that legacy apps were compiled for intel architecture. When the ipad came out, nobody complained about it not being able to run macOS apps. Why? Because everyone understood iOS and macOS were different animals.

To this day, people still have trouble understanding that RT and 8 were different. All they to repeat and hear is that RT is a stripped down version of 8. This is not true at all. It's just different architecture.

RT is just not meant to be successful.
 

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Because everyone understood iOS and macOS were different animals.

An example of how good Apple have been at marketing and product management.

Having created the market, they are under serious attack from the androids, which is to be expected.

MS just don't seem to get it.

Not sure why that is. Perhaps they have become accustomed to relying on their monopoly power to push thru whatever they like.

Stevie Ballmer has come under a lot of criticism, but overall he has done a good job of erecting barriers and preventing competition.

He made an error not coming in straight after iphone/ipad, and allowed android to reach critical mass.

In other respects, he has been effective at preventing the public from being aware of/accessing potential competitors.
 

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Because everyone understood iOS and macOS were different animals.

An example of how good Apple have been at marketing and product management.

Having created the market, they are under serious attack from the androids, which is to be expected.

MS just don't seem to get it.

Not sure why that is. Perhaps they have become accustomed to relying on their monopoly power to push thru whatever they like.

Yup. In fact, there was a report that came out a couple years ago comparing how much money apple dumps into their marketing versus how much other companies dump into their marketing departments. We're talking about dollars in the billions.

This reminds me of the uncanny valley.

Basically speaking, the "theorem" states that if you can make a robot 90% human-like, then it's really good. If you can make the robot 97% human-like, then it's really really good. If you can make a robot 98% human-like, holy cow it's is totally awesome. But if you make a robot 99% human-like, it is no longer a robot. People will perceive it as a human with something wrong. And it creeps us out a lot.

Apple designers understood this concept. That is why they made sure to make iOS different from macOS. They made the UI different. They gave it a completely different name. They marketed them independently. They drilled in everyone's head that iOS and macOS were completely different.

MS, in their infinite wisdom, always presented RT and 8 together. Heck, during their keynote presentation of the surface, they all referred to the OS on the RT surface as "windows 8". They made RT and 8 look completely the same. Not a single mention that RT couldn't run legacy apps.

And the result of MS's wisdom is even MS tech support didn't know RT and 8 were different.

If it were up to me, heads would roll in MS. To this day, I don't think MS realizes the magnitude of the blunder they made. RT never had a chance. RT is DOA. It's got no future.
 

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Here is another story on RT sales.

Despite a massive marketing campaign for the Microsoft Surface, RT-based tablets have been a bust, with a measly 0.4% market share. So says the latest report from IDC. How long will Microsoft keep propping up this ill-begotten operating system?

Who wants Windows RT? No one. | Computerworld Blogs
 

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Again with the Apple worship? They haven't done anything worthy of credit since the IPad 1.

I received a Surface RT as a gift earlier in the year. It is an excellent tablet.

Its only real weakness is a lack of apps, although there are lots of good ones. I own a Nexus 7 and my wife has an IPad 3. In terms of web browsing and productivity the Surface stomps all over them. In gaming it suffers because it doesn't have anywhere near the amount, but what it has is quite good. It lags behind in media/content.

Its build quality is superior, and so is its connectivity. Surface RT has a full USB port, you can plug all kinds of things into it. I have 2 usb keyboards, a usb mouse and an external hard drive. They all worked with it easily. You can even plug in an Xbox control pad (a lot of games on the Surface support this) and it has HDMI out. The IPad cant do any of that out of the box. With expensive proprietary accessories you can do some of those things. Android can do all of those things, but usually needs to be rooted first.

Unfortunately, Microsoft have marketed the Surface RT heavily, but poorly. Not many of the strengths I've pointed out are highlighted in the advertising. Surface RT is a very good tablet.
 

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LOL.

It is a funny headline.

Apple have good reasons for any interface changes.

It has nothing to do with copying 8.
 

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LOL.

It is a funny headline.

Apple have good reasons for any interface changes.

It has nothing to do with copying 8.

Lol, if you say so. I disagree.
 

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Are you in marketing/product management?

Clearly not.

If your doctor tells you something - do you disagree?

Not a good idea - unless perhaps you are also a specialist in that area.
 

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Are you in marketing/product management?

Clearly not.

What's your point? I'm expressing an opinion. That's allowed, right? Or are we only allowed to bag Microsoft here?
 

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Of course you can express an opinion.

That is what a forum is for.

If you want to know why Apple are changing the look now ( putting it crudely ) :

They are finding it harder to sell the same thing to largely the same people over and over again.

Give it a lick of paint, they will think it is a new product and buy it again.
 

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That I agree with, but its interesting that they (according to reports) have been influenced by Metro.
 

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Now we know why they are changing the look - the question is - what will the new look be?

The answer is actually in keeping with the Digg comment in the link you posted:

The Times quotes Justin Van Slembrouck, design director at Digg, as saying:
"[Design] is increasingly being driven by mobile, where you're designing for the lowest common denominator so you can't load a site up with heavy graphics...The end result, with flat design, is that it all feels less cluttered."​
 

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