It is not called "Windows 8 RT" but "Windows RT". That is very important! The ARM version is not Windows 8! As they said in the blog post, it is a new member to the Windows family: like Windows Phone, Windows Azure, Windows Compact Embedded and Windows 8. And take a closer look at what they write: "All editions of Windows 8 offer a no-compromise experience". That means that Windows RT is not part of Windows 8 but a different product and therefore will be a compromise = will not run x86 apps (nothing new).
Also news that WMC will not be included by default, only available as a purchasable add-on to Pro. Which is likely the Pro Pack we saw Canouna showing.
tks, I saw Brandon's blog just after wake up, put up the post and continue with my morning things, must have been still half-sleeping then.
Post got updated later on after people asking of the Enterprise edition. Well, the 4th SKU will be Enterprise.
I like that Microsoft moved away from having a lot of SKU's. Also it's great that the WMC is only available via an addon pack. That keeps license fees low and is better for the market now. The only bad thing is that Windows RT hasn't got the WMP.
WINDOWS RT is NOT a Windows 8 SKU!! I repeat, WINDOWS RT is NOT a Windows 8 SKU!! The SKUs are: - Windows 8 - Windows 8 Pro - Windows 8 Enterprise - Windows 8 China (and possibly other Windows 8 'Emerging Market')
windows RT mean: windows RunTime Windows RT is the official name for what Microsoft had been calling Windows On ARM. It's a new version of Windows designed to run on low-powered ARM processors, which are used in a lot of tablets today (including the iPad) because they offer longer battery life than the Intel-type processors used in traditional PCs.
So than, all that fashinating full colors crap tiles, those beautiful words of Windows 8 touch interface well working on tablets, and now what kind of enormous flop, saying that new OS for tablets with Arm Processor will not be Windows 8????????? Windows RT maybe different name, but you guys are saying that RT will be different from 8 (grafically, touch metro crap, and all features....)????? Just few words from the blog: Read well the title post saying: Announcing the Windows 8 Editions Edition you guys not mean as SKU????
Windows RT is not an edition of Windows 8. Because: you can not buy Windows RT in stores, it will be pre-installed on tablets, notebooks and even small desktops it is not compatible with Windows 7! Windows 8 can run all Windows 7 software. Windows RT can not run legacy software Windows RT can run WinRT apps (Metro styled apps) just like Windows 8 Windows RT will have a different desktop, no Media Player, no Media Center Windows RT will have Office 15 built-in! Windows RT may run .NET desktop software compiled for ARM. But this is only rumored Windows RT licenses will be cheap, so that hardware can compete with low prize Android and iPad tablets
there are a tons of software of everyday use, so who will buy a notebook with no compatibility on that?????? yeah, maybe a software developers will create new apps for Woa, but it takes years, so no convenience at all for RT version, And is a 8 edition, M$ is clearly compare with other two editions, with some feature and programs missing, and no desktop?? What do you mean different, if i cannot run standard programs, and metro apps can not be launched from there?? Just anther piece of garbage, where exactly it will goes on RTM stage, if Microsoft will disable functionalityt of third part software for start menu(Classic shell on top...) Know what? windows is windows, and in RT there will be no windows at all, so M$ guys are completely Dumb and idiot!!!! In 8 they show off the metro apps, for idea to be the future.... so less windows there..... First change the names in Microsoft Metro, and then we can discuss about......(personally if i have to choose metro apps, i preferr 1000 times a Ipad or a macbook where there are a lot of software available!!!!!!) PS my CP installation now is more a 7 SP2, Skip metro at all, and you will bhe happy... PS 2 try to listen a song with metro app, then open another metro app or just photoshop(or what else program you use...), automatically the metro music app will suspend, stopping audio... i'm fashinated how is useful the suspended mode for apps...... and if you re-open, it will not be faster as re-open for example media player.... so where is the convenience of Metro apps, and remember nowadays how much it cost a 2 gig RAm memory.... Microsoft call this 0 memory usage????? Who really cares about that??? Yeah... only computers with 1 gig of ram
So there is going to be a choice of 3 versions of Windows 8. But what they have not told us is that if we buy Windows 8, not Windows 8 Pro,will be be able to change the desktop wallpaper in Windows 8? Or would we have to upgrade to Windows 8 pro to do this? I remember when I bought my Windows 7 netbooks,they came with Windows 7 Starter. And you cannot even change the desktop wallpaper.And there is no Aero Glass theme. And Windows 7 Starter does not have the full features of the other editions of Windows 7. Not only can you not change the wallpaper on Starter but you cannot create your own Homegroup. You cannot play DVD movies and there is no Windows Media Centre. Windows 7 Starter is a crippled version of Windows 7 because you are restricted to what you can do. And so as a result most people,including me, ended up having to upgrade to Windows 7 Home premium, as that does have the main features that Starter does not. Even when you had the standard versions of Windows XP,Home edition you could do most things. And even on Windows Vista Home Basic,although you did not have Aero Glass theme,you could change the desktop wallpaper. So what I would like to know is that-will Windows 8 be like Windows 7 Starter where you can't change the desktop wallpaper? And will it have many of the main features of Windows 8 missing? If so, then I would go for the Windows 8 Pro instead. I have had Windows 7 Pro and Windows 7 ultimate on my netbooks that once only had Windows 7 starter and they all ran well. The only difference between Windows 7 Pro and Home premium is that on Windows 7 Pro,you have Bit Locker. Which most home users won't use and you can install Windows XP mode. And on Windows 7 Ultimate you also have Bit locker and you can install XP mode but you also have all of the different language packs. But apart from the additional language pack features it is a waste of money upgrading to ultimate if you are just using the computer at home. For most home computer users,Windows 7 home premium has all of the features that most people want. And Windows 7 Pro is good if you want to install Windows XP mode.And is good for both office and home While Windows 7 Ultimate is more for offices and big companies. Although it is true that apart from wanting to change the desktop background in Windows 8 and have the main features I currently get now in Windows 8 CP. I would not be installing Windows XP mode or using Bit locker or the language packs. But if the standard version of Windows 8,Windows 8 was like Windows 7 Starter and not like Home premium. I would definitely buy the Windows 8 Pro. Andrea Borman.
Microsoft wants to compete with Chrome OS and Android laptops/hybrids with Windows RT. It will not be very popular, I'm sure. But it gives the customers more options to buy very cheap hardware to surf the web and use Metro apps. And keep in mind, Windows RT has Office 15 built in, for free! This can be a good deal for students or people who don't need to use Photoshop or high-end games on their ultra-portable notebooks. The desktop on Windows RT will be touch-optimized, according to MS. I'm not sure how this will look, but they said there will be Office 15 and Windows Explorer. Nothing more, maybe System Panel. I believe that the desktop will run on 125 DPI by default, making it easier to use with touch. The leaked Office 15 screenshots (running on Windows 8) showed a feature called "touch mode". Maybe Windows Explorer will get a "touch mode" as well. MS said that Windows On ARM (=Windows RT) does share a lot of code with Windows 8! It is not the same OS and even Metro apps need to be compiled for the ARM architecture. About the name: Windows 1.0 also didn't had overlapping windows. Only side-by-side. Metro in Windows RT and Windows 8 also can show windows side-by-side. So the name is not wrong The Chinese version is the new Starter edition! Windows 8 will be much like the Home Premium version but without Media Center. I'm not sure if you can buy the upgrade pack with Media Center only for the Pro version. Maybe. If that is true, we should expect the standard edition of Windows 8 without Media Center to be very cheap.
If I understand this correctly, Windows To Go portable USB installations will only be available in the Enterprise version. Will this allow you to install the enterprise version to the USB device or stick or is it booting from the usb device using some corporate VHD type image. And does it mean the license is restricted to only that device and only for the corporate network? Shame, this feature should have been available on the pro version too. Does any one know if the personal version of windows 8 will allow installation to USB without hacks or is that the purpose of Windows RT? Is Windows RT == Windows embedded or Windows CE ? Will Windows 8 - Windows 8 Pro - Windows 8 Enterprise all be on the same DVD image?