The future of Windows RT and Surface with ARM are uncertain

Surface RT and Surface Pro Patch Tuesday Firmware update

During the Microsoft’s briefing event on Wednesday, the software giant revealed a bunch of new features and talked about the future of Windows 10. However, it did not talk about what will happen with Windows RT, the operating system that currently powers its Surface RT and Surface 2.

At the nearly two and a half hours event, Microsoft demoed many of the new features coming to the next version of the operating system, it even talked about the version of Windows 10 for mobile devices, which include phones and tablets with screen smaller than 8-inch running Intel’s x86 and ARM CPUs, but nothing was said about Windows RT.

After the Windows 10 briefing, the company had a Q&A session with the audience at which point Terry Myeson, leader of the Microsoft’s operating systems team, was asked “Will Windows RT be part of the Windows 10 upgrade?” and Terry answered “We’re working on an update, but haven’t worked out all the details yet.”

As such, it seems that Windows RT is not dead yet, even though the company has failed to make the software mainstream. In part because the operating system featured a desktop environment, but users could not use any traditional applications other than Outlook, Office, and Internet Explorer. There will be an update coming, but it will only feature some of the enhancements and functionality found in Windows 10. However, this could only mean that Surface RT and Surface 2 will continue to have support for the life of the devices, but it does not necessarily mean that it will run Windows 10.

But let’s make something clear, Windows on ARM will continue, as Microsoft is preparing a version of Windows 10 for mobile devices which will support ARM processors for phones and tablets, which is a merge of Windows RT and Windows Phone. The first preview will be available sometime in February.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.