Originally Posted by c4rv:
“until we see developers starting to support these there is little chance of them succeeding. Right now both android and ipad have 500k+ applications available, number of RT compatible apps can probably be counted on one hand.”
The X86 version can run Windows apps, so there's a huge amount of software available. I work at a software company, and Microsoft are encouraging us to get our products onto their app store for launch.
The number of Metro apps is far more than a handful. Obviously it will take time to build up the numbers. Being able to run the same app on a desktop, laptop, notebook, tablet and phone, is potentially valuable to users, and being able to write an app once and sell it onto all those platforms is potentially valuable to programmers. Maybe it will fail, but I could also see it being a huge success.
Originally Posted by That Bloke:
“To be honest I'm not really feeling the love for RT. I just can't can't see any reason to buy it over the ipad / android tablets, and especially so if it's significantly more expensive than either.”
Mostly I agree with you. The x86 version is compelling now; the ARM will be later as more Metro apps become available.
As I understand it, it has the usual Windows support for multiple users. That could be useful domestically if you have one device shared between a family. The security infrastructure may also be compelling for corporates.
If you have a Windows desktop or laptop, then there may be some synergy with having WindowsRT on your tablet and phone. We'll see.
Originally Posted by Neda_Turk:
“That or can you change Windows 8 to look like Windows 7?”
Windows 8 on x86 has a desktop that looks like Windows 7. It has a few improvements, like a better task manager. It also has the new start screen instead of a start menu, which some people hate. I run Windows 8 on my laptop at home; in practice I rarely see the start screen (I have my common apps available from the task bar and as desktop icons) so it feels like an improved Windows 7.
This works partly because I have configured the video player etc to be the desktop version, which works because my laptop always has keyboard and mouse. I am not sure if it would work so well on a hybrid machine, where sometimes it has a keyboard and sometimes it doesn't. Whether I wanted the Metro video player or the desktop one would vary, and I don't know if Windows is smart enough to get it right.
Originally Posted by Helbore:
“I was just trying to work out what sort of battery life we can expect from the x86 tablet.”
In addition to the points you make, it may depend on the mix of Metro and desktop apps you run. The WinRT API is designed to help minimise power use, so if you use mostly Metro apps you should get a longer batter life.I have no idea how effective it is in practice, or whether you'll be able to find enough Metro versions of the software you need to eschew the desktop versions. (Presumably the latter will improve over time.) Personally I'd hope for much better than the 5.5 => 6hr improvement you mention.