Microsoft's campaign for the Surface Pro and RT was always going to be difficult. The difference between Windows RT and Windows Pro has been particularly difficult for the company and its partners to adequately explain, leaving many asking, "What is a Surface Pro, anyway?" At the very least, they want to know what the difference is.
Even if people are confused, though, they might at least be interested. Windows RT, on the other hand, seems to be making enemies left and right. Even Microsoft partners are ragging on it. Instead of asking "What is a Surface Pro?" they might simply question why the Surface RT exists at all.
"We don't believe that Windows RT is what businesses want," said Lenovo's Simon Kent, the Think PC and visual category manager. His company's new ThinkPad Helix runs on Windows 8 Pro, the same software that can be found inside Surface Pro. According to Kent, "even Microsoft has started to review the RT path they have gone down."
So if Windows RT isn't as great as advertised, what exactly are the benefits of Surface Pro? Here are a few that might be what companies mean when they say they prefer to work with Pro, even over tablets from other companies like Apple or Google.
What is a Surface Pro benefit? It's a full-featured Windows OS
Windows RT was designed with mobile platforms in mind, but what Microsoft didn't anticipate was that when people buy a Microsoft product, they basically expect to be able to do exactly what they've been doing with Windows forever. While the Surface Pro / Windows 8 Pro is a full-featured OS, Windows RT (and other competing OS') isn't. On Pro, users can install programs like they would normally on a laptop, but with Windows RT you can only install programs downloaded from Microsoft's Windows Store. If it's not in the app store, no dice. You simply can't do as much with it.
What is a Surface Pro benefit? Price
This may not seem like a benefit at first. After all, the Surface Pro starts at around $900. But even though Windows RT comes with a built-in version of Microsoft Office, considering the price of these RT tablets/hybrids, you're paying a lot of money for a device that's not as capable as the Pro model. The Surface Pro and other Pro hybrids may be expensive, but since they're essentially packing a laptop's capabilities, companies might find them more worth the investment.
What is a Surface Pro benefit? Microsoft Office
This is a no-brainer for enterprise. Even if Windows RT isn't as great as Windows Pro, it still packs Microsoft Office. Tablets from Apple and Google can't run programs like Word or Excel, meaning Microsoft retains a key advantage with businesses.
Even with these benefits, though, Microsoft still faces an uphill battle in the tablet space. The Surface RT needs to be better or cheaper (or both), and the company still needs to convince users Windows 8 is a good interface. With the Windows Blue 8.1 update scheduled to hit later this year, it may give Redmond and its partners the opportunity they need to restart their Windows 8 push.
