Should windows change RT name?

[theta_orionis]

"Surface Mini"?.... no but seriously folks...I'm fine with the name. Surface defines the device and we'll probably shorten that to "RT" or "Pro" anyway, depending on which one you have. There was perhaps some confusion at launch but I think anyone who has considered a tablet in the last three months would know the difference. While we're on the subject...anyone know what the "RT" stands for? "Radical Tablet" perhaps?

 

[ShaunKL]

Windows Slate. Please. It makes so much more sense.

 

[Laura Knotek]

"Surface Mini"?.... no but seriously folks...I'm fine with the name. Surface defines the device and we'll probably shorten that to "RT" or "Pro" anyway, depending on which one you have. There was perhaps some confusion at launch but I think anyone who has considered a tablet in the last three months would know the difference. While we're on the subject...anyone know what the "RT" stands for? "Radical Tablet" perhaps?

Run Time

 

[luk3ja]

It should have been a variation of Windows 8, since the interfaces are indistinguishable. But it would be stupid to change now, just as it was stupid to change the name of Metro. Which means they probably will change it.

they had to change the name of metro due to a lawsuit from a company disallowing them to use the term metro

 

[CJ Thunder]

I liked my idea of changing Windows all together. Mosaic, no desktop, for tablets and the Windows 8 with Mosaic for legacy versions. Or since they love Windows, RT just becomes Windows Mosaic.

 

[shn'g]

I liked my idea of changing Windows all together. Mosaic, no desktop, for tablets and the Windows 8 with Mosaic for legacy versions. Or since they love Windows, RT just becomes Windows Mosaic.

I actually think this is where they are heading eventually! Even though I really like the file system in the desktop I think with each major release RT will get less dependent on the desktop side.

 

[ShipWreck]

The name I think is ok the biggest problem is they should have done a better job of explaining to the normal user what the RT could do and not do. That way people would have know ahead of time that the RT more just for Apps not really for Desktop use.

 

[CJ Thunder]

The name I think is ok the biggest problem is they should have done a better job of explaining to the normal user what the RT could do and not do. That way people would have know ahead of time that the RT more just for Apps not really for Desktop use.

Which could have been easily explained via a name change.

The only example I could think of is a 4 cylinder suv. Looks the same drives different and can't pull what you're used. Call it a crossover, boom sales success.

 

[vertigoOne]

Which could have been easily explained via a name change.

The only example I could think of is a 4 cylinder suv. Looks the same drives different and can't pull what you're used. Call it a crossover, boom sales success.

In a way this is already the case. Crossover would be the classification of the product in your vehicle analogy, but not the name of the product. So to bring this back to the realm of the surface RT, it is classified as a tablet and Microsoft has marketed it as such. If anything, the surface Pro is being mislabeled as a tablet since it has more in common with a laptop, and this is where the confusion comes from. Microsoft released two "tablets" with very different capabilities. Surface as a brand would/will make a lot more sense when it involves more than two tablets...for instance if/when a surface phone is released and a smaller gaming tablet.

Going back to vehicle analogies, think of the Honda Civic sub-branding. You have DX, HX, EX, ES, S, SI, SIR etc ... mostly meaningless, but it lets a person know how the amenities and capabilities of the various Honda Civics differ. The only reason "RT" doesn't make sense is because it is new, and the pool of sub branding is currently very shallow.

Like I said before, we just need to wait a while and everyone will know what "RT" means, it just has not had sufficient time to define itself.

 

[CJ Thunder]

Still all front wheel drive.

No real comparison except maybe old vs new explorer, was on a truck frame, now on a car frame. Most people buy it for the name in that case so Ford got it right, because most also rarely if ever take it off road.

Car people know, just like tech people know, its about the masses though.