Dell drops XPS 10, leaves Microsoft as lone RT tablet provider

Shawn Knight

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It’s getting awfully lonely for Microsoft’s Windows RT as Dell’s XPS 10 tablet is no longer available from the company’s website. Dell joins a host of others including Asus, Lenovo and Samsung that have all bailed on Windows RT in recent memory. The decision leaves Microsoft as the only company left selling a Windows RT-based tablet.

Dell will be hosting a media event on October 2 in New York where they plan to announce a new wave of tablets. PCWorld said the company didn’t comment on if a new Windows RT 8.1 tablet would be among those unveiled but they did show off an 8-inch device called the Venue that runs Windows 8 powered by an Intel Atom Bay Trail processor.

microsoft windows dell xps windows rt xps 10 tablet

It’s worth mentioning that Dell’s event will take place a few weeks before Microsoft plans to release Windows 8.1 RT as a free download on October 18. At this point, the only confirmed Windows 8.1 RT tablet is Microsoft’s own Surface 2 which was unveiled earlier this week alongside the Haswell-powered Surface Pro 2.

Other big players like Asus, Lenovo and Samsung have announced new Windows 8.1 hybrids powered by Intel chips but it’s unclear if they are also planning ARM-based machines running RT. As Jack Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates put it, companies typically don’t stop selling products that are doing well especially before a new product comes out. The discontinuation of the XPS 10 is likely just the latest RT failure.

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Now microsoft only need to do is drop RT all together and put the surface pro at a price point that is atleast affordable as right now I would rather get a ipad as its 1. cheaper, 2. better, 3. not as overpriced as M$ tablet.
 
Now microsoft only need to do is drop RT all together and put the surface pro at a price point that is atleast affordable as right now I would rather get a ipad as its 1. cheaper, 2. better, 3. not as overpriced as M$ tablet.

Argeed, a mid-range Microsoft Surface Pro would be well accepted I think. I own a Surface RT, but Office + Outlook isn't enough to get people to leave iOS & Android. Plus it just causes too much confusion because let's face it, "Windows RT" branding was just a FAIL.

Mid-range: Windows 8.1 Pro, Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 1080p (or higher display) w/TouchCover, priced at $499.
Top-range: Windows 8.1 Pro, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD,1080p (or higher display) w/TouchCover, priced at $799.

TouchCovers should be priced at $49.99, Type Covers $69.99.

Microsoft HAS to stop holding back on the features if they want to price it where they are, you're 3rd and WAY behind. You can't just jump into the party and pretend you've been in all along. MSFT is in a position where they HAVE to turn heads and give a reason to leave (iOS & Andorid). A snap in keyboard that you like to brag about that happens to be a $120 add-on isn't going to cut it. I personally would have bought 2 different colors of TouchCovers if they were priced better, but at $120 I just got the one added on for $100 at release.
 
Even less people will give RT a chance in this second round of - failures, should we say? I don't understand MS perseverance on this one, should have just focused on Pro to give it more chance...
 
Yah, when I have the choice (in a few weeks) of buying the new Asus Transformer tablet with full Windows and the keyboard dock, for the same (or less) as an RT tablet alone... It's kind of a no-brainer. I think Dell and everyone else has seen the writing on the walls, even though Microsoft seems oblivious to it.
 
Now microsoft only need to do is drop RT all together and put the surface pro at a price point that is atleast affordable as right now I would rather get a ipad as its 1. cheaper, 2. better, 3. not as overpriced as M$ tablet.
Hahaha, your first misconception is that the Pro version is in the same league as those other tablets. It's more of a touchscreen laptop with no keyboard than a tablet! And better? As subjective as that is, I would not call it better. It has the power of a desktop PC.

Otherwise, I never really saw a point to the RT. Sure it was supposed to be THE tablet with Windows on it, but without desktop application compatibility it's crippled...
 
There's not much wrong with MS tablets per se, even the RT version. It's the prices I find hard to stomach. They're just not worth it.
 
RT is useless for most Windows users, and confusing for the rest. Microsoft should just make a more affordable Pro version and then they should start to see some results.
 
The XPS lineups are some of the most popular product lines in the industry. They are well built, attractive and carry a good reputation. If Surface won't sell with the XPS name on it, it won't sell.
 
Now microsoft only need to do is drop RT all together and put the surface pro at a price point that is atleast affordable as right now I would rather get a ipad as its 1. cheaper, 2. better, 3. not as overpriced as M$ tablet.

You have obviously never read the specs of an Surface Pro or even understand what it is in comparison to an iPad.

1: Surface pro is very close to a Touch Screen Laptop, it has USB, Display port out, and a full keyboard (Yes separate which is stupid but the keyboard is quite nice), and a stylus included.
2: Has an i5 3317u with HD 4000 Graphics and 4gb of ram capable of a long line of tasks with an HD screen. Heck I have played League, Poker Night 2, and some other steam games on it and its not bad to say the least.
3: Full Windows experience in that size of a device means it can be carried as a nice little business add on and used for presentations or for a home machine because you can expand and add on lots of devices using the USB.

Saying it needs to be dirt cheap to sell is ridiculous, the iPad contains an A6X dual core processor clocked at 1.4ghz, 1gb of ram, a 2048x1536 screen. The Surface is significantly more powerful and capable of doing more tasks than an iPad.

Not to say an iPad is bad, but saying that it should be priced lower or right at the same price is ridiculous.

Either way though, the RT was an ok device, but I would prefer full windows all around anyday.
 
I have used both and I was comparing it to features vs price which the ipad is better overall for the price but if surface pro dropped to ipad prices than I would say surface pro wins hands down but as it stands I wouldn't touch a surface pro at current prices not unless I got a $30k increase in my wages.
 
I have used both and I was comparing it to features vs price which the ipad is better overall for the price but if surface pro dropped to ipad prices than I would say surface pro wins hands down but as it stands I wouldn't touch a surface pro at current prices not unless I got a $30k increase in my wages.
Even if I got that kind of increase in salary I would not be interested in buying the Surface Pro. Now a PC with I7 CPU and top of the range graphics card and large dual monitors would interest me.
 
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