Jack Cowett, Microsoft product marketing manager for Surface while speaking with ARN, admitted that customers were confused because of the RT moniker and that they didn’t know the difference between Surface RT and Surface Pro.
Microsoft, while revealing a Surface RT refresh last month, dropped the RT moniker from its latest lineup of tablets and decided the Surface RT successor as simply Surface 2. Cowett said that the reason behind the change was that Microsoft wanted to address consumer confusion by making it “easier for people, and these are two different products designed for two different people.”
Cowett said that besides dropping the RT naming convention they have also listened to customer feedback on how they would like to use the Surface tablets in their lap. To address this Microsoft has “added a second angle for the kickstand,” which despite being a tiny change “makes a huge difference.”
Surface 2, which is launching on October 22, runs Windows RT 8.1, comes in 32GB and 64GB sizes, has Office 2013 RT, boasts of a thinner and light design, improved battery life and starts at £359.
All Microsoft OEM partners including Dell, Asus and Lenovo have dropped Windows RT OS and will not be making any more tablets running the ill-fated operating system anymore. However, Microsoft has pinned its hopes on Windows RT and will continue supporting it through Surface 2. Nokia is also believed to be launching a Windows RT running Lumia 2520 tablet on October 22 at the Nokia World 2013 event in Abu Dhabi.
