CNETAnalysis: Microsoft is about to kill Windows RT , according to a report published today. DigiTimes quoted “sources from the upstream supply chain” saying that the Windows RT name will be dead by the time the next major Windows update, thought to be called Windows “Blue,” launches. And Windows Blue could launch into public preview as soon as June , according to the latest report. So why kill Windows RT? We thought you’d never ask. Let us count the reasons Windows RT is the heavily gimped version of Windows 8 that Microsoft launched on devices like the Surface tablet. There are other examples, like Samsung’s Ativ Tab , and one need look no further than that Windows RT tablet’s fate to understand why Windows RT needs to go away as soon as possible. Reports at the beginning of March claimed that shipments of the Ativ Tab were winding down for one reason: weak demand . And given the myriad problems with Windows RT , it’s not hard to see why. For one thing, it’s understandable if the average consumer is confused about what exactly they’re getting with a Windows RT device. It looks and acts like Windows 8, but it’s missing important functionality that even casual consumers will notice. And like Windows 8 proper, Windows RT is split between two desktops, but one of those desktops is practically useless. Killing Windows RT would be a mercy. So what about Windows Blue? The Windows “Blue” update is thought to be a major overhaul to Windows 8 that will add some functionality and refresh the OS aesthetically. Screenshots and other leaks have appeared recently, even prompting speculation that Blue is Microsoft’s next step in its ongoing quest to make the desktop itself obsolete . If that’s the case, then killing RT with the release of “Blue” and unifying all versions of Windows 8 into one OS – one OS in which the traditional de! sktop is playing second fiddle – could certainly help with that goal.
