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CES 2013 | Samsung to skip Windows RT tablets in the U.S.

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Microsoft and its new Windows RT OS will be getting the cold shoulder from Samsung as demand for the operating system flattens

Before the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft boasted a second version of the OS specifically designed for ARM processors called Windows RT. The move to bring a native Windows OS to a non-x86 platform was seen as an attempt to better compete in the mobile space largely dominated by ARM cores such as the Tegra, Snapdragon, Exynos, and Apple Ax SoCs.

Unfortunately, the potential of Windows RT has yet to be fully realized and has already lost the interest of at least one manufacturer. According to CNet, Samsung VP Mike Abary explains that demand for Windows RT devices are low enough that the manufacturer will not be launching any Windows RT tablets  in the U.S. for the time being while launches outside of North America are still in question.

"When we did some tests and studies on how we could go to market with a Windows RT device," says Abary to CNet, "we determined there was a lot of heavy lifting we still needed to do to educate the customer on what Windows RT was." The already mixed reception to Windows 8 is also not helping sales of Windows for ARM. Without support from a large manufacturer like Samsung, Microsoft will have an even harder time cracking into a mobile market currently inundated with Android and iOS platforms.

The Lenovo Yoga 11 and Microsoft Surface RT, some of the first Windows RT devices, have been well-received in our full reviews with impressive battery lives and quality. Exactly how Microsoft intends to better market Windows RT and increase public awareness of the OS, however, are still a mystery.

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Allen Ngo, 2013-01-12 (Update: 2013-01-12)