No recent Microsoft (MSFT) product has been hit with as much criticism as Windows RT over the past few months. Microsoft’s tablet operating system has been called a “lemon” that serves no purpose other than confusing consumers who don’t understand how it’s different from the full Windows 8 operating system. But in an interview with CNET, Microsoft corporate vice president Michael Angiulo said that Windows RT has a “bright future” and that Microsoft was working to make it better every day. In his defense of the OS, however, Angiulo didn’t really respond to a single one of the core criticisms that have been leveled at Windows RT.
When asked about Windows RT’s inability to run legacy desktop apps, Angiulo responded that when “people are talking about legacy desktop software not running… they don’t think about the customer benefit of only running modern apps.” Angiulo goes on to explain that Windows RT apps now function more like Android and iOS apps, where you can easily download them for free onto multiple devices instead of having to repurchase them.
However, this doesn’t get at the central criticism of Windows RT, which is that it not only lacks the ability to formally run Windows 8 desktop apps but that it also has an extremely limited app selection that is unlikely to improve as long as consumers are staying away from the platform.
