Top 5 Differences Between Windows 8 and Windows RT

Though the two Windows offerings-Windows 8 and Windows RT look exactly the same at the first glance, ie, keyboard attachments, desktop modes and all, and both have similar names, but there are a lot to differenciate between the two which a consumer must know before he bets his money on it.

Windows 8 has two versions-basic x86 Windows and Windows RT. Windows RT is an upcoming version of the Windows 8 operating system for ARM devices such as tablets.

Can run only apps stored in Windows Store or Windows RT

One can run only a limited number of apps with Windows RT platform. And to run your existing apps with Windows RT, one needs to download new ones from the Windows store and have to pay again. While Windows 8 runs almost everything: Windows 7 and Vista programs or some programs of Windows XP, can even install an Android emulator, can install development tools and compile one's own applications, can run Java, etc. So, the absence of legacy software would be a problem for users who expect their programs to work across devices.

Does not Run Any Desktop Programs Except Office and IE

Windows RT comes with a full Office 13 suite which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, and syncs your documents over SkyDrive. Though both the Windows are having almost all the same technology but Windows RT cannot run any desktop programs except Office and IE. It cannot run a non-IE desktop browser like Firefox or Chrome. You cannot even install an older version of Skype but you can run new Skype for Windows 8. You can't have Photoshop or CorelDRAW on Windows RT, but if Adobe and Corel do WinRT apps like their Android or iOS apps, you could have Photoshop Touch or Pinnacle Studio on your Surface.

Windows RT and Business Uses

For business purposes, Windows RT doesn't seem to be a profitable option. One cannot use Windows RT with a Windows Active Directory domain. One cannot even get Outlook with its free version of RT Office 2013, so one has to use Mail and Calendar to sync up with Exchange.

Cannot Run Windows Media Player/Center

Windows RT will not include Windows Media Player which can easily run in other Windows 8 versions.

No Option to Disable UEFI Secure Boot

Users will not have an option to disable UEFI secure boot on Windows RT systems. So, operating systems that have been signed for secure boot by their developers can be installed.