Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, famously said, “You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not gonna be pleasing to the user.” However, Surface RT was a different story. In fact, I’ve increasingly been using Surface RT more than any of my Android devices. Here are five reasons why.
1. Microsoft reimagined the OS
Windows 8 wasn’t a mature mobile OS, but the interface leverages mobile touch devices in a form that follows function. iOS and Android both took a classic icon-based desktop design, shrunk it down to smartphones, and then expanded it to run on larger tablets. Microsoft reimagined the OS to work around the device. Gestures take some practice to master, but they make navigation more intuitive. Windows 8 on a touch device gets out of your way. The actions become natural to interact with apps, to navigate through the OS, and to organize and customize the platform.
I recently talked to someone who said that when they go back to their non-touch Windows desktop, they find themselves reaching out to perform touch actions. I found the same thing when returning to Android tabs after using Surface RT. When you miss features …
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