By: Will Fleenor, CPA, PhD, K2 Enterprises
Blog Series: Which Tablet is Best for You?
Post 4 of 5
Part 4: Windows® Tablets
As mentioned previously, Windows tablets are like iPad® in that all apps have to come from the company store. Before an app even hits the Windows Store, Microsoft™ vets it to ensure that it works properly and does not contain malware.
Just like the Apple® iOS®, the Windows tablet operating systems (Windows 8.1 and Windows RT) have proven to be rock solid. However, unlike iOS and Android™ phones, the operating system cannot be jailbroken or rooted. Nokia® calls the Windows RT platform “… the most secure mobile operating system in the world.”
Microsoft Surface™ Pro 3
- Started shipping June 20, 2014
- Full Windows 8.1 PC
- Intel i3, i5, or i7 processor
- Up to 512GB hard drive
- 9 hours battery life
- 2,160 by 1,440 high resolution 12-inch display
- Weighs only 1.75 pounds—a quarter-pound lighter than the Surface Pro 2, and more than a pound lighter than the 13.3-inch Mac-Book Air®
There are two different Windows tablet operating systems. The first is the Windows 8.1 desktop operating system; this is the same operating system you would install on an HP® or Dell™ workstation computer. It supports touch so apps have been developed for this operating system that work the same way apps do on iPads and Android tablets, meaning Windows 8.1 tablets can be used without a mouse or keyboard just like other tablets.
Windows 8.1 tablets can be replacements for laptops. With the release of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with a 12-inch screen, why would you want to have both a laptop and a tablet? These machines that can serve as both a laptop and tablet are referred to as “Hybrids” or “2-in-1s.” In addition to Microsoft, other companies, including Dell, Samsung, HP, ASUS®, Lenovo®, and many others, sell 2-in-1 Windows 8.1 tablets.
The second Windows tablet operating system is called Windows RT. It looks and feels like the full Windows 8 operating system with the exception of the software it runs. Windows RT tablets will only run apps, and those apps must be designed specifically for the Windows RT operating system. Windows RT devices will not run Windows 8 apps or traditional Windows software such as Excel® and Word®—although there are Word and Excel apps for Windows RT.
The Windows RT operating system requires a less expensive processor that consumes less battery. The system was designed to run on small devices, like phones, and on tablets which were created to compete in the low end consumer market. These are not business machines unless all you intend to do with your tablet is read email and web pages.
Unlike Apple iOS, the Windows tablet operating systems run on both Microsoft hardware and hardware from other manufacturers like HP, Dell, and Lenovo.
Next in this blog series, we will discuss screen size and hardware.
For more information on making tech work for you, join experts from K2 Enterprises at NCACPA’s TechFest Summer Conference, August 18–19, 2014, for the nuts and bolts of today’s technical solutions and how to confidently put them to work for your business!
William C. Fleenor, CPA, Ph.D.
• Past Chair of the AICPA’s National Microcomputer Conference
• Published articles in the Journal of Accountancy & CPA Journal
• Winner of the AICPA “Accounting Educator of the Year Award”
• Has conducted continuing education for CPAs in 48 states