Microsoft's most boneheaded product is about to be killed off


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Microsoft's most boneheaded product is about to be killed off

 

By David Goldman  @DavidGoldmanCNN July 23, 2014: 4:04 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
 

Microsoft is about to take the ax to one of the stupidest products it ever created.

 

CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday that Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) will combine all of its various Windows iterations into one unified version next year. That, thankfully, will mean the end of Windows RT, MIcrosoft's woefully executed and dreadfully received operating system for tablets.

 

Windows RT was supposed to usher in the tablet era for Microsoft. But Windows RT has two fatal flaws: it's missing crucial apps, and it's poorly designed. Unsurprisingly, the stripped-down operating system failed to take off. (Actually, that's an understatement: Microsoft took a $900 million writedown last year because of awful Surface RT sales, the only mainstream tablet than ran Windows RT.)

 

The biggest failure of Windows RT was that it took away the single best part of Windows -- the fact that it can run just about every app ever created.

 

Instead, Windows RT can only run apps built for the Windows Store. You know those strange-looking tile apps in Windows 8? Yup, those are the ones.

 

To be fair to Microsoft, it has done a mostly adequate job building up its app store. There are 170,000 apps listed in the store -- about half of the number of iPad apps -- the most popular of which are YouTube, Facebook (FB, Tech30), Skype, Netflix (NFLX, Tech30) and Google (GOOGL, Tech30) Search.

 

Continues...

 

 

Microsoft's most boneheaded product is about to be killed off

"Microsoft is about to take the ax to one of the stupidest products it ever created."

 

 

Wow. This is the "stupidest" article I have ever read.

Serioiusly? How did this make it to CNN?

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What if I agree with the article?

 

The worst thing they ever did was make the desktop accessible on RT. That confused the ###### out of the consumer.

 

I still think they should have slapped the much more mature Windows Phone 8 OS on a tablet

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What if I agree with the article?

 

The worst thing they ever did was make the desktop accessible on RT. That confused the ###### out of the consumer.

Well, in terms of writing an article and doing news reporting, I don't think using "stupidest" is appropriate, and if you actually read the article, it's evident the author doesn't understand what Windows RT is.

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 if you actually read the article, it's evident the author doesn't understand what Windows RT is.

 

He said

 

"Windows RT was supposed to usher in the tablet era for Microsoft."

 

That's exactly what RT was.

 

First off ... RT was a stupid name. Second ... you had 2 versions of the OS which looked identicle. One which could run x86 apps and one that couldn't ,but both looked the same.

 

the poor consumer.I really feel sorry for them trying to understand this colossal cluster ######.

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"Still, you can't run iTunes. There's no Chrome or Firefox browser. You likely can't run your company's custom-built software. Pretty much anything that requires a desktop is a no-go.

OK, so that sounds kind of like an iPad or a Chromebook laptop, right? Sure it does -- so why not just buy an iPad for the same price? Or save $150 and buy a Chromebook? That's what most consumers were thinking anyway."

 

=/ why even mention chromebooks when chromebooks can't run itunes or firefox browser?

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He said

 

"Windows RT was supposed to usher in the tablet era for Microsoft."

 

That's exactly what RT was.

This article, is supposed to be an article about Nadella's announcement that there will be a unified Windows product. Somehow, he made it an article about Windows RT. Windows RT is Windows 8 for ARM. For the same logic he is using, he could have said Windows 8 is being axed.

Because it's CNN? If you expect well written, well thought out factual articles, you're going to have to bad time.

I agree, it just sucks that there are so many people reading it and believe what they read =/ which leads to bad information about Microsoft.

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He said

 

"Windows RT was supposed to usher in the tablet era for Microsoft."

 

That's exactly what RT was.

 

First off ... RT was a stupid name. Second ... you had 2 versions of the OS which looked identicle. One which could run x86 apps and one that couldn't ,but both looked the same.

 

the poor consumer.I really feel sorry for them trying to understand this colossal cluster ######.

RT is a stupid name? That is your argument? Well I think iPad and iOS is a stupid name. All they did was put "i" in front of something... seriously are you trolling?

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"Still, you can't run iTunes. There's no Chrome or Firefox browser. You likely can't run your company's custom-built software. Pretty much anything that requires a desktop is a no-go.

OK, so that sounds kind of like an iPad or a Chromebook laptop, right? Sure it does -- so why not just buy an iPad for the same price? Or save $150 and buy a Chromebook? That's what most consumers were thinking anyway."

 

=/ why even mention chromebooks when chromebooks can't run itunes or firefox browser?

 

Because RT looks "IDENTICAL" to Windows 8 x86 which can run all those applications.

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There's no need to be upset.

 

Not to such extent at least. And why is it in BPN, anyway?

Not upset. I thought this forum is about news articles?

Because RT looks "IDENTICAL" to Windows 8 x86 which can run all those applications.

Ok. This thread isn't about why RT is good/bad. It's about IMO a poorly written news article.

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RT is a stupid name? That is your argument? Well I think iPad and iOS is a stupid name. All they did was put "i" in front of something... seriously are you trolling?

 

Because iPad is a brand ... It's an iPad ...Heck iPad Mini ... it's a little iPad... .But RT ...what exactly does that even mean to the consumer.

 

I think what they had to do is if It won't run any of their Windows x86 applications drop the name Windows from the name and call it something else. At least then they will be wondering why it's called something different and what makes it so different.

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The worst thing they ever did was make the desktop accessible on RT. That confused the ###### out of the consumer.

 

I've never seen any evidence that that is the case and the only people who make that claim are people who do understand the difference but hate Windows 8.

 

Anyway, it's a stupid article because Windows RT isn't going anywhere and certainly isn't going to be killed off.

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Ok. This thread isn't about why RT is good/bad. It's about IMO a poorly written news article.

 

a "Poorly written news article" all about how bad he thinks RT is.  What did you think was going to be discussed? :laugh:

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Because iPad is a brand ... It's an iPad ...Heck iPad Mini ... it's a little iPad... .But RT ...what exactly does that even mean to the consumer.

 

I think what they had to do is if It won't run any of their Windows x86 applications drop the name Windows from the name and call it something else. At least then they will be wondering why it's called something different and what makes it so different.

Ok this is completely off topic now, but Windows RT is just a name, it's not any worse/better than Windows NT which was a huge success. I don't understand what point you're trying to make about the name of a product.

a "Poorly written news article" all about how bad he thinks RT is.

Which is my point, windows RT being bad in his opinion has nothing to do with the actual "news" that is being reported:

 

"CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday that Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) will combine all of its various Windows iterations into one unified version next year."

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Not upset. I thought this forum is about news articles?

 

Very much so, according to my portable upsetness meter. Besides, RT is a boneheaded stupid product that should have never seen the light of day. I'll not bother elaborating on that, because rarely anybody agrees to that notion anyway, instead they post more opinionated drivel all over the place, just like CNN does there.

 

Anyway, this forum *is* news articles. See:

https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/819526-guidelines-on-posting-from-other-sites/

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Well, in terms of writing an article and doing news reporting, I don't think using "stupidest" is appropriate, and if you actually read the article, it's evident the author doesn't understand what Windows RT is.

It's his opinion. Rather than calling it a stupid article, maybe unprofessional or uncouth is a more appropriate description.

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It's his opinion. Rather than calling it a stupid article, maybe unprofessional or uncouth is a more appropriate description.

I called it "stupid" because I am quoting the author. Understand it is his opinion, but that's my point, his article is supposed to be news about Sadella's announcement, not his personal vendetta against Windows RT.

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Very much so, according to my portable upsetness meter. Besides, RT is a boneheaded stupid product that should have never seen the light of day. I'll not bother elaborating on that, because rarely anybody agrees to that notion anyway, instead they post more opinionated drivel all over the place, just like CNN does there.

 

Anyway, this forum *is* news articles. See:

https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/819526-guidelines-on-posting-from-other-sites/

RT in and of itself is quite good, and quite cool, and hopefully we'll see RT Servers on ARM soon. RT on consumer tablets, now that was probably boneheaded. But even with that, there's more that was wrong than the OS. Lack of apps, terrible dysfunctional core apps, no stylus capability, price, performance, some confusion among consumers (I think this is overblown but does exist). I'm sure there's more.

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I'd argue that the article gave Windows more credit than it deserves:

The biggest failure of Windows RT was that it took away the single best part of Windows -- the fact that it can run just about every app ever created.

Most apps these days are developed for Android, iOS, and the web, not Windows, which is at best a legacy platform now. Satya knows this, and is rushing to unify all of Microsoft's disparate forks into a single target for developers. It's a smart move, and one that Ballmer deserves credit for initiating.

That being said, it might be too late. Windows PC usage is on the decline and has been for some time, Windows Phone is pretty much stagnant at 3%, tablets based on Windows hardly even exist in terms of marketshare, and the XBone is getting hammered by the PS4. I don't see how they can claw their way out of that, even if they do manage to fully unify their platforms.

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"Windows RT was supposed to usher in the tablet era for Microsoft."

 

You can build a perfectly working desktop or server with ARM CPUs. That's what Windows RT is, Windows on ARM. Not an OS for a tablet.

 

The lock that they inserted was the stupid thing here, not porting Windows to work on ARM processors.

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I'd argue that the article gave Windows more credit than it deserves:

Most apps these days are developed for Android, iOS, and the web, not Windows, which is at best a legacy platform now. Satya knows this, and is rushing to unify all of Microsoft's disparate forks into a single target for developers. It's a smart move, and one that Ballmer deserves credit for initiating.

That being said, it might be too late. Windows PC usage is on the decline and has been for some time, Windows Phone is pretty much stagnant at 3%, tablets based on Windows hardly even exist in terms of marketshare, and the XBone is getting hammered by the PS4. I don't see how they can claw their way out of that, even if they do manage to fully unify their platforms.

Windows PC usage is actually not on the decline. Recent reports have shown growth in PC shipments and purchases. source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pc-sales-record-slight-world-wide-growth-2014-07-09

Windows Phone is stagnant in the US, but has seen growth in other markets. XBone is losing in sales to PS4 but we will see if there is improvement after the price drop an

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I called it "stupid" because I am quoting the author. Understand it is his opinion, but that's my point, his article is supposed to be news about Sadella's announcement, not his personal vendetta against Windows RT.

I read it as clearly an opinion piece. The most wrong part of the article IMO, is actually

"The biggest failure of Windows RT was that it took away the single best part of Windows -- the fact that it can run just about every app ever created."

Do Androids run Windows apps? No, but they sell tons. Do iPads run all OS X software, of course not, but they sell tons and have made huge inroads into enterprise computing.

For the consumer market, it didn't need to run existing Windows apps. But it did/does need to run good, quality, useful, popular ones. This IMO, is where MS missed the market, they were confused as to where they wanted to position it, and how to get it there, and during that period (the Windows 8 RTM period) they were out of touch with what just about everyone wanted out of Windows and Tablets.

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You can build a perfectly working desktop or server with ARM CPUs. That's what Windows RT is, Windows on ARM. Not an OS for a tablet.

 

The lock that they inserted was the stupid thing here, not porting Windows to work on ARM processors.

Agree. Windows RT is Windows on ARM, nothing more. Tablet happens to be a form factor that it supports. I would say Windows 8 and RT was supposed to "usher in the tablet era" for Microsoft. However, windows has been running on tablets for at least a decade, but not well.

I read it as clearly an opinion piece. The most wrong part of the article IMO, is actually

"The biggest failure of Windows RT was that it took away the single best part of Windows -- the fact that it can run just about every app ever created."

Do Androids run Windows apps? No, but they sell tons. Do iPads run all OS X software, of course not, but they sell tons and have made huge inroads into enterprise computing.

For the consumer market, it didn't need to run existing Windows apps. But it did/does need to run good, quality, useful, popular ones. This IMO, is where MS missed the market, they were confused as to where they wanted to position it, and how to get it there, and during that period (the Windows 8 RTM period) they were out of touch with what just about everyone wanted out of Windows and Tablets.

It is an opinion piece, but my point being it was posted in CNN Money in the news section as news about Nadella's announcement. And his opinion about "axing" windows RT is just wrong.

Agree. Windows RT is Windows on ARM, nothing more. Tablet happens to be a form factor that it supports. I would say Windows 8 and RT was supposed to "usher in the tablet era" for Microsoft. However, windows has been running on tablets for at least a decade, but not well.

It is an opinion piece, but my point being it was posted in CNN Money in the news section as news about Nadella's announcement. And his opinion about "axing" windows RT is just wrong.

To my knowledge, Windows RT is not being axed and neither is Windows 8. I'm not sure how he formed that statement based on Nadella's announcement. This is pretty much my issue with this article. The headline of the article is "Microsoft's most boneheaded product is about to be killed off". Does this sound like it's supposed to be an opinion article? Or news?

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RT wasn't their first attempt.. still got a tablet here running XP Tablet Edition. RT was kind of a silly idea though, if I want dirt cheap I'll pick up an Android. If I want something that runs mobile apps and everything else, I'll pick up a Surface Pro or something similar.

 

not Windows, which is at best a legacy platform now.

That being said, it might be too late. Windows PC usage is on the decline and has been for some time

Real world numbers would say otherwise. There's an awful lot of software out there that isn't suited for or just can't run on a mobile OS. Even in the gaming segment, it's on the rise outselling consoles, not decline. Intel is reporting record desktop CPU sales. Yes, the phone and X1 aren't doing the best.. but you're still choosing to ignore the, what is it now, billion and a half people who use Windows daily?
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