A long time ago, before graphics cards had as much RAM and transistors as a PC itself, I had a video card that I did not like. It was a new-fangled nVidia card and this upstart in the 3D market was already making waves for the incumbent, and de facto standard, 3dfx. It did not seem to be compatible with half the games I played and worse still, it made the ones it did work with look weird.
Now, I had been a 3Dfx fan since the very first of its Voodoo cards emerged. These were 3D accelerator cards that sat alongside your 2D card and they made a hell of a difference to a game.
Then came nVidia and there was a death match that ultimately nVidia won. My particular encounter was when the writing was already on the wall for the 3dfx company and the Voodoo 5 5500 AGP card was its last hurrah. Despite its visual performance being arguably better than any of its rivals, the fact that the market was going with another standard meant that this was akin to the peak of evolution for the dinosaurs—another way was already gaining with irresistible momentum.
So it was with great interest that I read about Samsung’s plans to stop selling its Windows 8 RT tablet, the ATIV Tab, in Germany. The report from Reuters suggest that the tablet may be withdrawn from other European markets also, while pointing out that it had never been on sale in the US.
An analyst in the article points out that this is a blow for Microsoft, as it suggests that a lack of sales success for Windows RT devices has created the situation.
Now, when I had my 3dfx card I knew it was the end of the line, but I loved it for its capabilities. I haven’t quite fallen in love with the Microsoft Surface RT, but as I read that Reuters story on it, I couldn’t help but see the parallels with the previous situation.
The Surface RT is a lovely bit of kit, and there is no denying that Windows 8 will become the standard for PCs, as its forebears have done. However, whether Windows 8 RT will become a touch device success, be it in laptop or tablet form, is another story. As I have said previously, it is not sufficient for a Windows touch device to be as good as an iOS-running touch device, it must be comprehensively better, but price is a factor too.
For the same money as an iPad, any non-iOS device must be a significantly better, both in terms of performance and what it can do. Perhaps the powers that be in Microsoft thought that a combination of similar pricing, good hardware specs and design and Windows 8 RT plus Office 2013 would be sufficient, but clearly, it isn’t-at least Samsung thinks it isn’t. So for one of the highest profile OEMs to abandon its current efforts with RT is certainly not good news. The Korean giant has said that it will continue to offer a range of platforms, including Windows, but if other OEMs follow suit, Microsoft may well find itself with the end of an evolutionary branch of Windows in its own Surface RT.
One potential lifeline for the RT devices though, is that the increasing trend toward company supplied devices, as opposed to bring your own device (BYOD), might push many toward fleets of Widows devices, with the RT at a price point that could see it succeed over iOS devices. Apple’s continual refusal to do any kind of meaningful volume discounting on iPads has meant that they are likely to lose out to competitors that are more easily acquired and managed.
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