Windows RT has recently been in the news for, shall we say, not the right reasons. While Microsoft’s foray into the ARM architecture pleased a lot of people when announced, the release has seen lukewarm response.
In many ways this was to be expected. It is after all, a foray — a first venture for the company on a brand new architecture. It is bound to only get better with time.
Developer focus is increasing on the Windows RT platform, with almost all new apps on the Windows Store supporting the ARM processors. And as you may recall, this was not always the case. In the early days of Windows 8, several apps were coded just for the x86/x64 versions only.
But times are changing. And Microsoft seems ready to lead the charge.
News is that the company has big plans for its tablet-oriented operating system, starting with a release of the Windows RT version of the Outlook email client. And it doesn’t stop there.
The software titan has reportedly already ported all Office apps to ARM, and it is set to launch every single app in the productivity suite on Windows RT as well, according to a new report over at ZDNet.
Further details are scarce, particularly the launch date. But signs point to the fact that most Office applications currently available have been compatible with ARM chipsets for a while. All they needed were only minor changes.
Now the company has completed the work, and all Office applications (not just the core Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) could soon be seen embracing the Windows RT platform.
Emphasis on the word soon here — Microsoft would like to pave way for Gemini, the upcoming major update for its productivity suite rumored to go live this summer. All in all, the next few months could be real interesting not just for the company, but the Windows RT user base as well.
All Comments
I’m glad. They need to ditch the desktop on the tablet. As it is, people are confused because RT has the desktop, but programs don’t work. If they can just eliminate the whole thing, it would be much better.