An Arm and a Windows

In one of ZDNet's recent moderated blogger debates (think Obama vs. Romney, but via online post), given the choice between declaring Windows RT either "The Future" or "Worthless", both the moderator of the debate as well as 65% of the voting audience gave Windows RT their nod of approval.

Now the moderator's words were far from glowing. By "the Future", he means that Windows RT is more likely to survive in some form or another than not. But this is a much needed bit of positive press for an operating system that's been getting absolutely roasted by tech journalists everywhere.

In my mind there are two reasons why current and prospective owners of Windows RT devices (such as the Microsoft Surface) shouldn't be worried about their machines going the way of the HP Touchpad.
The first the moderator mentions in his decision: Microsoft has made a firm commitment to updating and supporting RT for a minimum of 4 years. Microsoft has boatloads of cash and can weather the ups and downs of the market.

The second reason why Windows RT isn't quite as doomed as people are saying is the fact that it is one of Microsoft's primary vehicles to entering into the world of tablets. Yes, Intel Atom devices like the Acer Iconia W510 that feature a decent battery life and a touch interface may mean that Microsoft won't need to build for ARM based devices, but the verdict is far from settled on those. For now, the fact is that touch interfaces will make up the vast majority of our devices in a very short time, and Microsoft needed to get in on that as soon as possible.

Say what you want about Windows RT, the fact is it both gives Microsoft a foothold in the tablet world, and gives the tablet world its first viable laptop replacement OS. (Speaking of which, there's a great little review written by a college student chronicling their positive experience using the Microsoft Surface for a semester...my guess is that reviews of RT devices will tend to trend positive based on length of use)