Microsoft Corners the Market on Devices Running Windows RT

And, then there was one.

For a brief moment in the history of Windows RT there were many partners willing to take Microsoft's gamble on devices running the dumbed-down Windows 8-style OS. Over time, customer confusion, lack of industry adoption, and poor sales forced all but Microsoft and Dell to continue supporting devices running Windows RT. Lenovo, Asus, and Samsung also offered Windows RT-powered tablets for a while.

That changed yesterday, when the Dell web site was modified to show that the XPS 10 Tablet is out of stock. Some have speculated that this is an indication that Dell has quietly made the decision not to produce any additional devices running Windows RT, but it's important to highlight that Dell recently put the XPS 10 up for deep discount pricing. So, it probably, actually sold out.

We'll have to wait until October 2^ndto find out for sure. Dell is holding a new product announcement release in New York on that day. This will be an important event for Dell, showing their hardware direction after Michael Dell fought and finally won back his company in early September. It's important to note that that Microsoft loaned Dell $2 billion to help the company go private, so Microsoft may have some say in how brightly Dell helps keep the Windows RT light burning.

So, at least for the next week, Microsoft stands alone as the only vendor still committed to the Windows RT operating system. Just days ago, Microsoft announced the Surface 2, which improves on the original version of their self-built tablet.