Windows RT's race to the bottom

The checkered flag is out and the race to the bottom for Windows RT manufacturers has entered the final laps. Dell -- for all intents and purposes the only Windows RT hardware manufacturer left standing, other than Microsoft -- just dropped the official price of its only Windows RT tablet by 33 percent. At almost the same time (when most of the tech world is watching Google I/O), Microsoft started giving away free Touch or Type covers with all new Surface RTs sold in most of Europe, effectively up to a 25 percent discount.

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A Guy
 
$450 down to $300.

Completely different price point. Surely they will be able to get rid of the remaining stock at that level.
 

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$450 down to $300.

Completely different price point. Surely they will be able to get rid of the remaining stock at that level.

At which point ms will say "see, people love it, aren't we amazing..."...;)
 

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$450 down to $300.

Completely different price point. Surely they will be able to get rid of the remaining stock at that level.

At which point ms will say "see, people love it, aren't we amazing..."...;)

It would sell much better if they put Android on it.
 

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I don't see why there is a need for windows OS just for checking mails and Facebooking. I don't believe people do actual office work on these craps which they are supposedly designed for.

So happy with my Nexus 7. i don't even use my iPad anymore. N7 can do so much more than the iPad. If I need to do some work, I want to sit in a comfortable ergonomic chair in front of a bulky powerhorse desktop pc. :p
 

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RT was always dead on the water because if you take that extra step you could have full windows 8.

People should really try windows rt before they criticize it. It is actually very snappy and feels way better than android. It is failing miserably because it is too close to windows 8.

MS really screwed up with the way they tell people the difference between rt and 8. I had 2 Samsung and 1 MS tech support guys tried to tell me rt and win8 were the same and therefore I could install printer driver compiled for win8 on rt. Most frustrating 40 minutes of my life having these tech guys telling me rt and 8 were the same.
 

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There is still stock of the special launch price upgrade offer hanging around on Amazon and elsewhere.


$450 down to $300.

Completely different price point. Surely they will be able to get rid of the remaining stock at that level.

At which point ms will say "see, people love it, aren't we amazing..."...;)
 

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I think a lot of people have a good idea what they are buying when they buy an Android device. With Windows RT not so much. It's an unknown to a lot of people, even if the sales person gives an accurate description. It's Windows 8 but it's not Windows 8, say what?
 

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I think a lot of people have a good idea what they are buying when they buy an Android device. With Windows RT not so much. It's an unknown to a lot of people, even if the sales person gives an accurate description. It's Windows 8 but it's not Windows 8, say what?

Most people are ignorant of processor architecture. How many tech reviewers have said rt is the dumbed down version of 8? Even these ifans don't even know the real difference between rt and 8.
 

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I think a lot of people have a good idea what they are buying when they buy an Android device. With Windows RT not so much. It's an unknown to a lot of people, even if the sales person gives an accurate description. It's Windows 8 but it's not Windows 8, say what?

Most people are ignorant of processor architecture. How many tech reviewers have said rt is the dumbed down version of 8? Even these ifans don't even know the real difference between rt and 8.

I don't see any difference. it's very clear. They both FAILED.
 

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People should really try windows rt before they criticize it. It is actually very snappy and feels way better than android. It is failing miserably because it is too close to windows 8.

That is so not how it works. These kind of stuffs are investments for a lot of people. They don't buy and try. They READ REVIEWS and buy.
 

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    External (network attached)- 1x2TB Seagate backup; 1x1TB ext. storage; 1x500GB,
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I think RT failed because of the very poor apps store. And people love Android (including myself) because you have a vast selection of very good apps.

The apps development is something that MS can only influence to a very limited degree - and I guess they figured that out. Now they are clearing the decks. Will be interesting to watch what they do next.

If I were MS, I would implement an instruction interpreter similar to Dalvik for Java in Android that can emulate x86 instructions on a RISC system. Then they would have the whole x86 application set at their disposal.
 

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People should really try windows rt before they criticize it. It is actually very snappy and feels way better than android. It is failing miserably because it is too close to windows 8.

That is so not how it works. These kind of stuffs are investments for a lot of people. They don't buy and try. They READ REVIEWS and buy.

Go into best buy or something and try the displays.

Nowadays, reading reviews to decide is probably the worst way to find the right machine for you. I dare say 90% of the tech media has been taken over by apple fanboys. If it ain't made by apple, then it will get a negative review.
 

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I think RT failed because of the very poor apps store. And people love Android (including myself) because you have a vast selection of very good apps.

The apps development is something that MS can only influence to a very limited degree - and I guess they figured that out. Now they are clearing the decks. Will be interesting to watch what they do next.

If I were MS, I would implement an instruction interpreter similar to Dalvik for Java in Android that can emulate x86 instructions on a RISC system. Then they would have the whole x86 application set at their disposal.

I have my own gripe about app development. As of now, there are no free libraries for pdf rendering for windows 8 development. The few that are out there are very expensive, and they don't even do a true rendering. They make everything into an image, so you can't really highlight, copy, etc.

Something as simple as controlling the led light on my windows 8 tablet is impossible. There is absolutely no documentation on this at all. None. Zip. I searched and searched to find something so I could insert it into my app. After finding nothing, I emailed a friend of mine, who is a professional dev unlike me who's just an amateur, for help. I happen to know this guy and his capabilities. I dare say he's the best coder I've ever known. And he has a knack for finding obscure documentations that most people can't find. This guy emailed me back the next day telling me there is no documentation for what I was looking for.

Shows us just how much MS cares about the dev community for their winstore.

Windows 8 is a wonderful platform. Unfortunately, MS's lack of interest in helping out the devs is hurting the winstore. The rate of apps being added to the winstore is abysmal. All my inquiries with MS support for what I've been looking for have only been ignored. No response whatsoever. Not even a "we don't know the answer" quick reply.
 

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I have my own gripe about app development. As of now, there are no free libraries for pdf rendering for windows 8 development. The few that are out there are very expensive, and they don't even do a true rendering. They make everything into an image, so you can't really highlight, copy, etc.

Something as simple as controlling the led light on my windows 8 tablet is impossible. There is absolutely no documentation on this at all. None. Zip. I searched and searched to find something so I could insert it into my app. After finding nothing, I emailed a friend of mine, who is a professional dev unlike me who's just an amateur, for help. I happen to know this guy and his capabilities. I dare say he's the best coder I've ever known. And he has a knack for finding obscure documentations that most people can't find. This guy emailed me back the next day telling me there is no documentation for what I was looking for.

Shows us just how much MS cares about the dev community for their winstore.

Windows 8 is a wonderful platform. Unfortunately, MS's lack of interest in helping out the devs is hurting the winstore. The rate of apps being added to the winstore is abysmal. All my inquiries with MS support for what I've been looking for have only been ignored. No response whatsoever. Not even a "we don't know the answer" quick reply.

Which LED light are you referring to?

My understanding of WinRT (the runtime common to both Windows 8 & RT), is that apps are sandboxed. It might be the LED is walled off by design. This is purely conjecture on my part, as I've never done any Windows 8 programming yet.

Which language are you using? I've pretty much decided on the C#/XAML route when and if I ever get around to any Windows 8 coding. There is also the HTML5/Javascript option. C++ is a non-starter for me.

How are you contacting MS support? Online? Phone? I recall, years ago, using an MSDN account in conjunction with online forums, for official MS support. More recently, I've had good luck in the ASP.NET forums.

I had hoped to be writing some apps by now. I have all the tools, but not the time...
 

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I have my own gripe about app development. As of now, there are no free libraries for pdf rendering for windows 8 development. The few that are out there are very expensive, and they don't even do a true rendering. They make everything into an image, so you can't really highlight, copy, etc.

Something as simple as controlling the led light on my windows 8 tablet is impossible. There is absolutely no documentation on this at all. None. Zip. I searched and searched to find something so I could insert it into my app. After finding nothing, I emailed a friend of mine, who is a professional dev unlike me who's just an amateur, for help. I happen to know this guy and his capabilities. I dare say he's the best coder I've ever known. And he has a knack for finding obscure documentations that most people can't find. This guy emailed me back the next day telling me there is no documentation for what I was looking for.

Shows us just how much MS cares about the dev community for their winstore.

Windows 8 is a wonderful platform. Unfortunately, MS's lack of interest in helping out the devs is hurting the winstore. The rate of apps being added to the winstore is abysmal. All my inquiries with MS support for what I've been looking for have only been ignored. No response whatsoever. Not even a "we don't know the answer" quick reply.

Which LED light are you referring to?

My understanding of WinRT (the runtime common to both Windows 8 & RT), is that apps are sandboxed. It might be the LED is walled off by design. This is purely conjecture on my part, as I've never done any Windows 8 programming yet.

Which language are you using? I've pretty much decided on the C#/XAML route when and if I ever get around to any Windows 8 coding. There is also the HTML5/Javascript option. C++ is a non-starter for me.

How are you contacting MS support? Online? Phone? I recall, years ago, using an MSDN account in conjunction with online forums, for official MS support. More recently, I've had good luck in the ASP.NET forums.

I had hoped to be writing some apps by now. I have all the tools, but not the time...

It doesn't matter what language I use.

http://www.eightforums.com/software...tion-controlling-led-light-windows-8-tab.html

I'm talking about the led that flashes when you take a picture.
 

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You use a tablet to take photographs?
 

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You use a tablet to take photographs?

No. But sometimes while I'm in the field I need to email documents to people. I use the tablet to scan in documents to pdf and email.

I'm guessing you have a nice comfy desk job. I think I explained this somewhere else. I almost went crazy working in a nice comfy office job. But anyway, I can understand why you don't understand the incredibly usefulness of a hybrid device. Explains why you always insist the only computing device that's useful is an i7 desktop that's clocked at 5 kazillion ghz with 2,000,000,000 GB of ram and 7,000,000,000 x 3,000,000,000 screen resolution.

Added by edit.

I also use my tablet to skype with people. Sometimes, I want to turn on the led light.
 

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Once again, you just assume things, that's a very bad habit. I'm now semi-retired and live in rural Australia, a tree change so to speak. I used to travel a lot in my previous job and did a lot of field work, as well as desk work in science research, and portable computing was a tool of the trade. So I kind of talk about things from actual experience, not watching YouTube or whatever, and know when to use the right tool for the job.
 

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Once again, you just assume things, that's a very bad habit. I'm now semi-retired and live in rural Australia, a tree change so to speak. I used to travel a lot in my previous job and did a lot of field work, as well as desk work in science research, and portable computing was a tool of the trade. So I kind of talk about things from actual experience, not watching YouTube or whatever, and know when to use the right tool for the job.
My apologies, then.

My experience, most people really don't know what the tablet is good for other than web browsing, youtube, and gaming, exactly the 3 things that Steve Jobs said the tablet is only good for in his original presentation.

When people see me use the tablet in the field, they can't figure out why I was using a gaming device for work. One woman (an ipad owner) once asked me what's the use of a camera in front or back? To take pictures of myself? I had to calmly tell her that I could skype people with the cameras. One time the guys needed copies of some documents I had. I said that's ok at the end of the meeting I'll send them each a pdf of it (about 28 pages). They asked me how because there wasn't a scanner there or an office depot anywhere near there. I said I brought a scanner. At the end of the meeting, I took the documents out and scanned each page and emailed it to them. While I was doing it, one guy said he thought I meant an actual scanner that I had brought with me. Another guy said he'd never seen anything like that before.

Your tools are only as good as your imagination and resourcefulness. Most people I know lug around their ipads for fun and games and a big heavy laptop for work. The guys that come out to the fields with me also lug around big heavy manuals (references for local and federal regulations). I only bring with me 1 device that does all of it.

Last year I introduced my brother (a senior engineer and department leader at his company) to the hybrid. He and his hybrid are now inseparable. Last time he asked me to do maintenance on his tablet, I found dozens of very large pdf documents. I asked him about it and he told me exactly the same things I'd been doing. Before the hybrid, he had to lug around very large reference manuals for engineers (thousands of pages long) and all the rules and regulations. Nowadays, he just takes his hybrid along to do everything. Not a year before that, he was adamantly again tablets and kept telling me I was using a toy.

The point is I see everyday people who have these devices but they don't really know how to use them to their full potential. The comments I hear from them are very similar to the comments I see on here.

Again, a camera works infinitely better for taking pictures than your smartphone. A video camcorder works infinitely better for shooting videos than your phone. A desktop computer works infinitely better for editing documents and coding than a hybrid. A scanner works infinitely better for scanning documents than a smartphone or hybrid. A book works infinitely better for viewing references that are thousands of pages long than a tablet viewing pdf. I could go on and on about the uses. But I don't want to carry around 30-40 pounds of stuff if I can just take along a hybrid and a smartphone to do all those things just good enough. Most people have trouble understanding this.
 

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