Surface RT revisited Summer 2013

I'm posting this from my Surface RT (on an airplane no less).

When I first got my Surface RT, I really liked the hardware but the software was in a terrible state.

Now, 9 months later, I am happy to report that Microsoft has so improved Surface RT that if I bought a Surface RT today and compared it to what I had back last Fall I would think it was a "Surface RT 2".

So what's changed?

First off, it's much faster. Gone is the lag when I was typing or launching things. It's just plain snappy.

Secondly, SKyDrive is much much better integrated in. When I first got the Surface, the Skydrive integration into Office was so woefully slow and unreliable that it was largely useless. That isn't to say SkyDrive is perfect, it still should integrated into explorer as if it were...you know...a DRIVE except where the data is stored in the sky.

Office RT has steadily improved as well and so have the other Microsoft related apps. I still detest the Sype RT user interface but that isn't Surface RT's problem.

Plane is getting ready to land. Cheers!

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Did you ever purchase a Zune on sale?

If you did, you might have held off on an RT. I personally think it is prudent to see if a new surface RT model will be available, because instead this could very well be the death toll liquidation sale MS is known for.

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I tried to buy a Surface RT but Microsoft have devised a very strange marketing strategy.

In late 2012 they had a strict policy against selling an expensive tablet in a country filled with rich yuppies that buy absolutely anything that has a USB connector (Switzerland) so I couldn't buy one.

Then, when Microsoft finally agreed to sell the Surface RT in the market most suited for yuppie toys (Switzerland), they devised the brilliant strategy of insisting that the multilingual Europe-travelling tablet buyer must not ever be able to get a keyboard dock in any language but German. Since I wanted an English or American keyboard I again couldn't buy. Contacting Microsoft about this is quite pointless since they don't react AT ALL.

I finally bought a Dell XPS10 Windows RT tablet since Dell can be convinced, in just a few telephone calls, to sell the tablet with an American keyboard dock.

That said, I am very happy with my RT tablet. I wish I had a Surface RT but the Dell one does nicely. I never bought an iPad since I find them too restrictive, but I like Windows RT.

Basically I think that what Microsoft have to change is their attitude towards willing customers. Apple shout an excited "Yes!" when you ask them whether you can buy from them, Microsoft try to get you to find the nearest Apple Store instead; at least that's strongly implied when they almost actively try to make it impossible for customers to buy from them.

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