Microsoft announced that Outlook 2013 RT will be coming to Windows RT, along with the Windows 8.1 update. Sales of Windows RT tablets like the Surface RT have been underwhelming thus far, but Outlook will change that.
When the Windows 8.1 update comes to the Windows Store later this year, Outlook RT will join Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote as a free app on Windows RT systems. That is huge news in general, but it’s particularly intriguing for business users.
The Surface RT (and Windows RT tablets in general) is a decent tablet, but it’s not a great device for business computing. It has distinct advantages over its Surface Pro sibling—it’s thinner, lighter, cooler, quieter, and has significantly better battery life—but it can’t join a Windows network domain.
With the Windows 8.1 update, it still won’t be able to join a network domain, but the IT and BYOD management features in Windows 8.1 make it much more business friendly. The addition of Outlook is the real game changer, though. The default Mail client in Windows 8.1 is no match for Outlook, and business users need consistency between the tools they use on their primary PC, and the apps available on the Windows RT tablet.
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