Following Microsoft’s decision to stop selling the ARM-based Surface 2, followed shortly by the Lumia 2520, the tech world began to speculate about the fate of Windows RT. To add salt to the wound, Microsoft announced during its Windows 10 keynote that Windows RT will not be upgraded to Windows 10 and will instead receive an update that backports some of its new features.
Despite these events, Microsoft has officially commented on the matter by reiterating its support for ARM-based tablets. In a statement provided to GeekWire, a Microsoft spokesman said that ARM tablets will continue to be relevant in the tech space moving forward, and the software giant will be involved in that space with its Windows 10 operating system.
“As Terry Myerson shared on stage on January 21, Microsoft is working on an update for Windows RT, and will have more to share later. ARM devices will continue to be a crucial part of the range of devices Windows 10 supports, with an optimized experience for ARM-based phones, phablets and small tablets up to 8 inches.” – Microsoft
What we took from that statement is that Microsoft will continue to support ARM-based tablets provided they are under 10 inches. That makes sense, especially now that Touch Office is well on its way meaning that the Desktop will no longer be included in small tablets to confuse customers into thinking they are running full Windows.
Tablets 8-inches or larger like the Dell Venue 8 Pro and the HP Stream 8 are currently doing well running full Windows on power-efficient Intel x86 processors, so there is no immediate need for large ARM-based Windows tablets, until something like this pops up.
While Microsoft has reaffirmed its support for small ARM-based tablets and phones, it has said very little about what is to become of Windows RT. Hopefully, we will get some solid answers in the near future.
