Does Windows RT stand a chance?

In many respects, it is a similar situation for Windows RT hardware as it is for Windows Phone 7 and 8 smartphones, where Microsoft outlines specifications that OEMs tend to follow as closely as possible. While these baseline requirements have resulted in launch devices that are rather similar, it does ensure a certain level of UI responsiveness and performance, which will be important if Microsoft is to successfully woo users of competing platforms. This is something Windows Phone does well (using hardware efficiently), and it will be interesting to see if Windows RT can continue that trend.
Similarly to Windows Phone, Microsoft came in late to the party and its moves thus far have been more reactionary than revolutionary. It currently faces stiff competition from Apple’s iPad, Google’s army of Android tablets and Chromebooks, and the customized Android-powered e-book readers from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. That is quite the uphill battle, but Microsoft does have the allure of one-platform-to-rule-them-all, with integration with the Xbox in the living room, the smartphone in your pocket, and the desktop and laptop computers you use everyday. Windows RT fills in the final gap in Microsoft’s ecosystem that is growing tablet market.
Windows RT is a boon for tablets, but how does its counterpart, Windows 8, fare on the desktop?

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