For those unfamiliar, there is a difference between the Microsoft Surface RT tablet and the Surface Pro tablet. The former runs on an ARM processor and is powered by Windows RT, while the latter will run on an Intel processor with Windows 8 on board. To the layman we expect that this might be confusing since the layman isn’t expected to know the difference between an ARM tablet and an Intel one, and the different apps that are compatible with them. Perhaps it was this confusion that led Dell’s vice-chairman and president of PC business, Jeffrey Clarke, to appeal to Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer about renaming the Windows RT operating system.

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According to Clarke, the “Windows” brand should refer to an operating system that is compatible with Windows-based applications, and since Windows applications can’t run on the Windows RT platform, it should be renamed. However Ballmer reportedly told Clarke that the Windows brand was too important a franchise to not be used, which explained by Microsoft decided to go ahead with it. Dell’s vice-president of tablet business Neil Hand, believes that it lies with the manufacturers to help educate customers on the distinction, “Making sure we educate the market place on the differences was going to be a necessary action no matter what. Just calling it something different is not going to solve the problem.” What do you guys think? Are your non-techy friends confused between Windows 8 and Windows RT?

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