HP Reportedly Ditches Windows RT as Microsoft Readies Surface

Mikey Campbell | AppleInsider | July 2, 2012

According to unconfirmed reports, HP has scrapped plans to build Windows RT-based tablets which would have been direct competitors to Microsoft's own upcoming Surface tablet that was announced in June.

Unnamed sources told SemiAccurate (via The Mac Observer) that Microsoft's largest OEM partner HP has decided to dump Windows RT, the ARM processor-powered version of the company's upcoming Windows 8 OS, possibly in favor of Google's Android.

Microsoft reportedly angered hardware makers when it unveiled two self-branded tablets, one running Windows RT for ARM and another Intel-based machine called Surface for Windows 8 Pro, on June 18 after having worked closely with the OEMs in designing devices that would efficiently run the new OS. Semi Accurate alludes to Microsoft cherry-picking the best of each design to make its own tablet in the Surface, however the rumor is unfounded and can't be proven until all new Windows tablets launch later in 2012.

Most recently, Acer founder Stan Shih called the Surface a mere advertising stunt for Windows 8, saying that the Redmond-based company had no real plans to continue development in the tablet hardware arena...

Open Health News' Take: 

With HP bailing out of Microsoft's Windows on ARM RT (or “WART”) platform, soon to be followed by all other major tablet makers, the industry now has an opportunity to focus on two sets of platforms, the iPad, running iOS, and a set of open source contenders that include Android, WebOS, KDE, MeGoo, MER Project, and Tizen. Peter Groen wrote an excellent review of the Tablet OS' which can be read here. With Tablets becoming the primary device for physicians, health IT developers can now focus their time and efforts on just these two sets of choices. We should all thank Steve Ballmer for removing the Microsoft option from the table. -Roger A. Maduro, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Open Health News.