Windows RT explained: Microsoft finally gets tablet computing right

Windows RT is a version of Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system that has been tailored specifically for tablets and notebooks powered by ARM processors. The new OS represents a massive shift for the Redmond-based company, as it is both the first version to support ARM SoCs and the first iteration to enable interaction on a tablet as enjoyable as a mouse and keyboard are on the desktop version of the OS.

Until recently, Microsoft has seen tablets as a niche hardware, and has focused most of its development efforts on running Windows on traditional desktop and laptop computers. Tablets are no longer solely used in vertical markets and by graphic designers, however. Thanks to relatively low-priced ARM hardware running Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating system, tablets are used by millions of consumers as a secondary media consumption device — or in some cases in place of a traditional computer all together.

Thankfully, Microsoft has recognized the importance of supporting the growing tablet market and has put together a purpose-built OS that not only blows away Microsoft’s previous tablet “support” strategy of bolting on touchscreen and digitizer support to the traditional Windows desktop UI, but rivals the user interfaces of iOS and Android.

While the familiar Windows desktop is still present, it is merely one of many applications available on a brand new operating system featuring a touch-friendly user interface. The Modern UI (formerly Metro) Start screen is essentially the new desktop of Windows RT, and it has drawn inspiration from Microsoft’s Windows Phone mobile OS to bring live tiles, gestures, multitouch, cloud syncing, and an app store to Windows users.

The software

Windows has traditionally been a versatile operating system that is extremely customizable, but one trait that makes tablets like the iPad and Nexus 7 attractive devices is an intuitive interface that makes the computer easier to use. Surely, that is not of much concern to power users (who are likely the majority of the ET audience), but for most people it is of supreme importance.

Windows RT goes against Windows tradition by limiting customization to smaller aesthetic tweaks (think customized lock screen photo, Start screen background), and presents a screen of live tiles much like Windows Phone. From there, you can launch, switch, and close applications with touch gestures. You can re-size the live tiles and reorder them, but that is the extent of customization allowed on what is essentially the new Windows RT desktop.

Microsoft has further embraced multitouch and gestures to navigate around the operating system. Swipe gestures in particular are used throughout the OS, and if you have used a smartphone or tablet before, after a couple of minutes playing around with Windows RT you will be right at home.

Easily switch apps by swiping in from the left of the screen.

The user interface of Windows RT is designed to work well on high-pixel-density displays. The full-screen nature of the Start Screen and all of the applications also ensures that precious screen real estate on mobile devices is not wasted by taskbars, window borders, file menus, and other features of previous Windows versions. Instead Microsoft has tucked away menus behind an overlay that can be brought up by swiping up from the bottom of the touchscreen.

While it will vary from tablet to tablet, Windows RT feels surprisingly snappy, despite the wimpy ARM SoC powering it, and the interface in general is really quite joyous to use. Buttons are larger, and there are extremely few areas in the Metro UI where you run the risk of your finger(s) not being accurate enough to select the thing you want. The Office 2013 applications running on the desktop will have a touch mode where the buttons will be spread further apart to make it easier to select items in the ribbon as well.

Users can run up to two applications at a time side-by-side, but for the most part Windows RT encourages you to focus on one app at a time. Applications in the background are put to sleep to conserve battery life. The limited multitasking is also well-suited to ARM hardware where you do not have the same level of computing power and memory as an x86 desktop or laptop.

Apps

Applications are the other pillar of a good tablet operating system. Finding and installing applications is one area where Windows has traditionally been complicated for end users. With Windows RT, Microsoft has decided to provide an application store as the sole source for third party applications. Finding and installing applications is as simple as clicking on the Windows Store, selecting the app, and hitting the install button. No guided installation windows, no UAC prompts, no nonsense.

Granted, the presence of the app store comes with the concession that Windows RT is more locked down that any previous version of Windows. It is no more egregious than the way Apple or Google do things, however. A curated experience is not necessarily a bad thing, and the simplicity factor will make apps more accessible to non power users. (Remember, there is always Windows 8 if you want the full freedom to install anything you want — Windows RT is specifically targeting the tablet market that wants an app device like the iPad).

Bundled software has also been beefed up compared to past versions of Windows, and Microsoft provides the staples out of the box including applications for mail, maps, contacts, calendar, weather, news, and web browsing. There is also SkyDrive integration to sync your photos, videos, music, and documents across devices. Photos, music, and games are also provided for with bundled applications. Additionally, Microsoft is providing a free version of Office 2013 with Windows RT that will provide you with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint running on the desktop app. The Office applications will work just like the Windows 8 versions, with the exception that advanced features like Excel macros are not supported. As far as productivity applications on a tablet go, Office 2013 appears to handily best the offerings on iOS and Android.

And, of course, the Windows Store will grant you access to applications that (generally) can also run on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. By pooling the devices together (thanks to the WinRT, or Windows Runtime, APIs), Microsoft is hoping to encourage developers to take up Windows 8 app development by putting out apps that will run on your home machine, work computer, tablet, and smartphone.

Security

Microsoft has further beefed up security by reducing attack vectors related to memory leaks, hardened the kernel, and locked down certain APIs to Microsoft-only applications. Further, Windows Defender is included out of the box, and it has grown to include anti-virus protection capabilities based on Microsoft Security Essentials. Application updates are managed by the Windows Store, and the control panel has been simplified to make managing your tablet as easy as possible. And in the unlikely event something should go wrong, Microsoft has included a Refresh tool that can restore your tablet to a pristine state.

The Windows 8 vs. Windows RT confusion

Compared to past tablet hardware support, Windows RT is leaps and bounds ahead of previous versions of Windows as far as interacting with your PC using your hands or a digitizer thanks to the touch-first UI. It is a welcome upgrade, but the new operating system is not without its own growing pains and quirks.

Windows RT is being marketed along with Windows 8 devices, but despite the obvious visual similarities the underlying software is quite different  Mainly, while both versions have the Metro Start screen with Windows Store apps and the traditional Windows Desktop, Windows RT is extremely limited in what you can do with the Desktop. You will not be able to install third-party Desktop applications, for instance. Windows RT will have access to Explorer, Office 2013 (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), Notepad, Calculator, and Paint (among a few other traditional Windows programs) but beyond that the Desktop is merely there to hold shortcuts to Office.

This is likely to cause some confusion with consumers as they see Windows RT and Windows 8 computers side-by-side in the store, choose the cheaper RT models, and then are miffed at why they cannot install third-party Desktop applications (beyond the obvious ARM vs. x86 issue, MS has locked down the Desktop to not allow any third-party app installs whatsoever). This is more of a marketing issue than an OS issue, but any backlash is likely to be placed on Windows RT itself nonetheless.

In line with the above, Windows Phone 8, Windows RT, and Windows 8 will be able to tap into the same Windows Store app marketplace (for the most part), but it is tiny compared to the number of apps available on iOS and Android. In many respects, consumer tablets are app machines, so Microsoft will really have to push forward and encourage developers to support them if they want Windows RT to succeed.

The hardware

As the launch date of Windows 8 approaches, several device OEMs have shown off their Windows RT tablet offerings. The general consensus on form factor is a tablet with dockable keyboard. The keyboard docks that have been announced generally feature a full physical keyboard, trackpad, additional battery, and extra ports. PC vendors seem to prefer this Asus Transformer-like computer design, and there has yet to be any announcement on a more traditional laptop form factor running Windows RT.

So far, Asus, Acer, Dell, Lenovo, NEC, and Microsoft have announced Windows RT tablets. For around $600, you will get a 11-inch Tegra 3 tablet, with keyboard dock, up to 64GB of solid state storage, 2GB of low voltage DDR3, and a multitouch display with resolution of at least 1366×768 (coincidentally, that’s the minimum required to do side-by-side Metro apps). All the announced tablets stick to that formula, and generally do not stray. The Lenovo sticks out a bit in that the keyboard is not removable and the display actually rotates around to lay against the bottom of the keyboard to become a tablet. Otherwise, they are dockable tablets with similar hardware and price points.

Does Windows RT stand a chance?

In many respects, it is a similar situation for Windows RT hardware as it is for Windows Phone 7 and 8 smartphones, where Microsoft outlines specifications that OEMs tend to follow as closely as possible. While these baseline requirements have resulted in launch devices that are rather similar, it does ensure a certain level of UI responsiveness and performance, which will be important if Microsoft is to successfully woo users of competing platforms. This is something Windows Phone does well (using hardware efficiently), and it will be interesting to see if Windows RT can continue that trend.

Similarly to Windows Phone, Microsoft came in late to the party and its moves thus far have been more reactionary than revolutionary. It currently faces stiff competition from Apple’s iPad, Google’s army of Android tablets and Chromebooks, and the customized Android-powered e-book readers from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. That is quite the uphill battle, but Microsoft does have the allure of one-platform-to-rule-them-all, with integration with the Xbox in the living room, the smartphone in your pocket, and the desktop and laptop computers you use everyday. Windows RT fills in the final gap in Microsoft’s ecosystem that is growing tablet market.