Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

When Microsoft is set to stage a release party in New York City, consumers may have to choose between a tablet with Windows 8 or Windows RT. The operating systems look and feel the same, but devices will differ on performance, price, battery life, usage and application support.

Windows RT is Microsoft's first OS for ARM processors, which are found in Apple's iPad and most Android tablets. Analysts say RT is targeted at consumers and will attract a new generation of users with little ties to PCs, much like the iPad. The OS will come preinstalled on tablets and differ in some ways from Windows 8, which is considered a successor to previous Windows operating systems.

"People should play with them in the store to see if the device is right for them," said Dean McCarron, principal analyst at Mercury Research. "We have a new device class, a new architecture, and people need to figure out how it fits with their device usage model."

Here are some things to consider when looking at RT tablets:

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

 NEWS ANALYSIS: Microsoft likely will show a version of their Windows 8 RT operating system on a Microsoft-branded tablet during its June 18 press conference in Los Angeles, but it won’t be the final product design. 

When Microsoft introduces its new Windows 8 tablet on Monday, June 18 at a media briefing in Los Angeles, the device it presents will be a technology preview device, not a finished product, said Craig Mathias, principal analyst for Farpoint Group.The new device will run Windows RT, which is a version of Windows 8 that is stored in CMOS on the device and will also include, among other things, a version of Microsoft Office.  

Mathias said that there may be several different Windows 8 tablets at the introduction, and that he expects them to be more business-oriented than the Apple iPad. €œThe iPad really isn€™t a business device,€ Mathias, said. €œMicrosoft will approach this from a business direction.€ 

The real question is whether or not the new tablet will be as easy to use as an iPad and whether or not it will be perceived by customers as being as good or better in value when compared with the iPad. To accomplish this, Microsoft will have to create a tablet that is at least as thin and preferably thinner than the New iPad. It will also have to have a user interface that is as intuitive as the iPad€™s and as responsive.

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet

Windows Tablet