Microsoft’s primary challenge with Windows RT on the Microsoft Surface RT was to create an operating system that could bring its PC users into the modern world of mobile technology. With Windows 8 optimized to serve both PC and mobile formats, the company appears to have met that challenge not only with fine technological skill but with a renewal of the company’s innovation style and spirit. The obvious benefits of Windows RT and the Surface over the iPad are easily outlined.

The Surface RT offers clear advantages over other tablets.

Surface RT Design

The large shapes and arrangements of the live tiles deliver an aesthetically pleasing user experience that seem to usher you into a new mobile age of modern industrial design. The Surface RT highlights contemporary minimalist styles by incorporating all its features into one consistent, unobtrusive design. The lightweight tiles, offering rich updates of information, come together to optimize a form especially made for the tablet and mobile devices. It makes the iPad iconic look that Google and Android clones follow reflect yesterday’s phone screen technology.

VaporMg

The patented magnesium liquid metal casing affords a unique touch to the Surface RT that provides a soft and durable casing fronted by Gorilla glass. VaporMg is less prone to the nicks and scratches attracted to the iPad.

Surface RT Touch Cover and Kickstand

With a natural magnetic fit into the Surface RT, the Touch Cover along with the integrated kickstand provides the laptop experience for easily producing documents. The iPad has these, too, but as extra accessories. Built for the RT, these two features reflect a nuanced, purposeful and smart built machine. Adding the trackpad provides the benefit of editing documents without having to move your fingers from the keyboard.

Multi-tasking

With the Surface RT, you can run two applications side by side. The iPad lacks this advantage. It represents Microsoft’s effective foray into the modern world of mobile communication, allowing for video chatting while also using production tools or other applications, for example.

USB and Expandable storage

Many iPad users have always felt limited by not having the ability to easily connect to peripherals with USB or to have MicroSD function that allows more access to digital projects. The Surface RT opens both of these opportunities to the modern tablet user, along with an HDMI TV port.

Multi-User Support

This sophisticated feature allows the tablet to be shared by members of a family or of a business group. Retailers can benefit by having different agents build separate virtual showrooms on one device. Multi-user benefits extend into the worlds of education, health and other professions. Apple has yet to place the feature on iPads.

Microsoft Office for Surface RT

Built especially for the Surface RT, incorporation of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote purposely benefits the whole of the Microsoft customer base with a familiar, productive PC experience placed on a tablet. The dedicated Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT attached to the storage capacities of the company’s SkyDrive cloud make mobile access and production of your documents a natural feat of modern computing.

The Surface RT’s killer app: Microsoft Office.

All Day Battery

The iPad offers up to 10 hours of battery life, and so does the Surface RT, clocked at 8 to 10 hours. Coupling the use of Microsoft Office all day with such tasks as browsing and emailing, seamless hand-held productivity becomes a major benefit of the Surface RT over the iPad.

Windows Blue Updates

Microsoft expects to have Windows Blue out as a major update of Windows 8 by fall, also called Windows 8.1. We don’t know in what directions the company plans to take Windows RT. This spring has seen major releases of the tablet into foreign markets following a string of updates. We can expect more benefits from Microsoft for its tablet as the company moves back, refreshed, into its historical leadership role.