My Experience with Windows RT as of 2016

[Mike Bourbon]

So I have 2 Surface RT's (first gen). My kids use them on a daily basis and I know they are old and the OS is no longer supported. However, the battery life on these devices is astounding. My Surface 3 which is less than a year old (from when I purchased it) is around 6 hours of use on a full charge. The Surface RT which is 4 years old is getting around 10 hours and has been used consistently since purchase by my kids. Furthermore, the boot time on it is still impressive in under 15 seconds.

I am wondering if any one else is seeing this? If so, I would have to think it's the ARM processors that are just fundamentally better at energy conservation. I think it might be time for MS to revisit having Windows 10 on ARM devices, like a full copy of the OS on ARM if possible. I love the new surfaces but I am really losing faith in Intel based chips to catch up to the ARM processors.

 

[Maurizio Troso]

So I have 2 Surface RT's (first gen). My kids use them on a daily basis and I know they are old and the OS is no longer supported. However, the battery life on these devices is astounding. My Surface 3 which is less than a year old (from when I purchased it) is around 6 hours of use on a full charge. The Surface RT which is 4 years old is getting around 10 hours and has been used consistently since purchase by my kids. Furthermore, the boot time on it is still impressive in under 15 seconds.

I am wondering if any one else is seeing this? If so, I would have to think it's the ARM processors that are just fundamentally better at energy conservation. I think it might be time for MS to revisit having Windows 10 on ARM devices, like a full copy of the OS on ARM if possible. I love the new surfaces but I am really losing faith in Intel based chips to catch up to the ARM processors.

That's like comparing an old '60s fiat 500 with the new one. Or , talking about devices, Win Xp vs Win 10. RT is 3 / 4 generations older, when apps took less than 1 megabyte and o.s. used half a gig of RAM.
Things are totally changed now, everywhere, on Androind, iOs, and Windows.
Everything is more complex, safe, universal, and integrated with more devices.
ARM worked perfectly with RT and Symbyan (I fell in love with my Nokia n78), but tecnology goes on.
Consider that RT isn't supported anymore, so it is unsafe

 

[sev7en]

I've a wonderful Nokia Lumia 2520 now like a place where to get dust...

 

[E Lizzle]

That's like comparing an old '60s fiat 500 with the new one. Or , talking about devices, Win Xp vs Win 10. RT is 3 / 4 generations older, when apps took less than 1 megabyte and o.s. used half a gig of RAM.
Things are totally changed now, everywhere, on Androind, iOs, and Windows.
Everything is more complex, safe, universal, and integrated with more devices.
ARM worked perfectly with RT and Symbyan (I fell in love with my Nokia n78), but tecnology goes on.
Consider that RT isn't supported anymore, so it is unsafe

Considering that Intel removed their phone SoC from their upcoming lineup, I'd say that ARM will definitely need to be supported by MS, unless they plan to stop targeting phones. The news had to really hurt at MS, you can tell that RT was essentially a nose-thumb in Intel's direction, to show that Win could again run on non-Intel hardware. Then MS decided it was too hard to maintain an ARM compiler, and Intel started making phone musings. So MS backs away from ARM support (and Windows RT) and bets on Intel-based phones and the Universal Windows Platform. Now Intel is out of the phone market for the foreseeable future which is going to seriously limit the "universalness" of the UWP.
-E

 

[Mike Bourbon]

Application wise, yes it is old. But as a machine, it is truly a good device. Battery life is excellent. 3 kids under the age of 10 have yet to smash a screen and the keyboard still works. Their not little angles with these machines either.
My comment was on build quality and the o/s on the device. It still a rapid boot and no hangups in all this time. I regretted buying them for a while, I am coming back round to liking them again - they do their job....

 

[fatclue_98]

Consider that RT isn't supported anymore, so it is unsafe

Windows RT doesn't run executables, how exactly is it unsafe?

 

[jazen]

Currently using a Surface RT 2 as my primary tablet and I agree, it is a great device. I think MS nailed the UI and gesture controls for a touch device, their downfall was not marketing it correctly and the lack of apps.

I have a Kindle Fire HD that I use from time to time and the UI is downright cumbersome compared to the Surface. The way you switch apps, launch new ones, and navigating within the browser.

I can't say the same thing about my type cover though... It failed on me in 14 months and was out of warranty. :angry: ended up selling it on eBay as parts/repair. Haven't gotten another one because I wasn't sure how long it'd last. Been using my MS Bluetooth Keyboard 6000 with it.

 

[astondg]

My wife has a Surface 2 which is still going strong. I like how light it is (I have an SP3) and the battery life. It does a better job of connected standby than my SP3 too and stuff like Cast (DLNA?) and Project (Miracast?) to my Xbox One to play movies works easily where my SP3 with W10 is unstable and can't Cast/Project HDCP content at all presently.

 

[teiva]

I'm still loving my WinRT tablet. Work all this talk of Win10 on arm be nice if MS enable a version to be run on their original tablets.

 

[RTGent]

I also still use my original RT nearly every day; it is on its second keyboard. Yes, it runs all day.

NB: Excuse me, Maurizio, but you're mistaken. My RT is running 8.1 and it still prompts me for ready updates regularly, so it is quite "safe". Microsoft ended production of 8.1 in 2013, and in keeping with its forever practices, will continue to support the software until 2023. I have a reminder set for 2021, and I may start worrying in 2022.