Windows RT is dead, again, this time with the Lumia 2520

Microsoft's red headed stepchild just can't seem to catch a break. Bad news come one after another for the Windows RT that, if the ARM-based OS were a cat, it would have pretty much run out of lives by now. Perhaps there is now very little reason to believe that Windows RT has any future beyond being placed on life support. But as if to drive home the point, Microsoft has been tipped to be discontinuing the production of the Nokia Lumia 2520, the only Lumia to run Windows RT.

On one hand, it's perfectly natural for manufacturers to discontinue old devices. But the Lumia 2520 isn't even that old yet, having gone to market only in late 2013. And it isn't that bad when it comes to specs, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, 2 GB of RAM, and a 10.1-inch Full HD screen. Definitely decent specs even at this point in time.

If it isn't the hardware then, it's probably the software that is making Microsoft pull the plug on the tablet, which translates to "Windows RT is dead". Microsoft won't be bringing Windows 10 wholesale to its ARM-based devices either, putting only bits and pieces into the existing Windows RT in patches. If the platform will no longer be supported, it makes no sense to keep on churning out units from its factories.

The Lumia 2520 won't be alone though. Microsoft has also been reported to have ceased the production of the Surface 2, its own Surface tablet that bears the same ARM architecture and the same Windows RT OS. Given that there was no new Surface tablet that was announced with the Surface Pro 3, these events pretty much put an ax on the entire Windows RT line.

Lumia 2520 fans need not despair just yet. For one, the tablet can still be bought, both from Microsoft and other retailers, at least as long as supplies last. For another, there are rumors that a successor is on the way. This one also bears an ARM processor but is unlikely to run Windows RT. If all the clues are correct, Microsoft still has plans to dip its toes in the ARM tablet market, with a particular flavor of Windows 10. Hopefully, it won't just be Windows RT with a different name.

VIA: The Verge