Windows RT Will Require 12GB of Storage on Tablets
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows RT takes up more than one third of Surface’s 32GB storage space.
The tablet's test manager Ricardo Lopez said that owners of the 32GB variant will only have 20GB of storage to utilize; Windows RT OS, Microsoft Office and other various pre-loaded apps take up a considerable proportion of the device's internal storage space.
When asked about the size relating to the Windows RT install, Ricardo Lopez replied, “After the OS, Office RT and a bunch of apps, you will still have more that 20GB. As you say, you can always add an SD card and while you cannot add apps there, you can get music, movies and photos there.”
Comparatively, iOS on the iPad takes up 1GB.
Surface, which has already seen its $499 model sold out a day after prices were announced, releases on October 26 alongside Windows 8.
12? Even with office, that is excessive. Too many uncompressed BMPs?
Doesn't take much to launch apps.
....but yeah, 12GB is a bit portly.
Link to specific question/answer: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11kyja/iam_panos_panay_gm_of_microsoft_surface_amaa_ask/c6ndgfl
I think you're talking about download of the image, once you extract and install it, Windows 8 and 7 does take up space.
I do agree Windows RT takes up a lot of space, no wonder they start space at 32GB.
But if you can deliver the smoothness and ubiquitous then I see a win.
modern browser and OS that lets you download and play with flash, put in a touch of MS office and full size USB, it's a win win. My gf is already thinking about dumping her iPad(html web with youtube machine) for the Surface(flash web and office).
Aha, you are correct sir!
The core OS components (no 3rd party software), only takes about 30-40MB of RAM at bootup (which is why windows XP can boot on a system with only 64MB of RAM)
Why is it that we have mobile OS such as android or iOS taking 500MB of RAM at bootup, 1-2GB of storage but only offer a fraction of the functionality of a full desktop OS like windows XP?
Overall, someone needs to create a new mobile OS that is built completely from the ground up that is designed to be memory and storage efficient. or port over an OS that was designed at a time when developers actually had to worry about RAM, CPU and storage IOPS
When you quote a source who says, , then you cannot have a title that states . Simple math says 32-12=20, but the expert says you have MORE than 20 GB, ergo Windows RT, with programs and apps, will require less than 12GB.
I realize you lean more towards Apple, but please ....
However, considering the significant size of the initial install; it's a little deceptive to sell the 32GB model as 32 GB, since a large portion is not usable. Reasonably informed people realize that the advertised space is not what you have available to use, but wouldn't expect a third of the storage to be reserved space.
Simple English says "require" does not mean "consume completely." One might even go so far as to guess that the 12GB requirement is a minimum meant to allow for both the O/S AND a few apps to be installed, so that people don't but a 12GB device to find that they have room for nothing but the O/S.
Maybe because XP was a horrible bloated OS full of security holes and unoptimized drivers, and a completely useless touch-screen UI... because it wasn't designed for touch screens... Designed for X86, no less...
Please, I have been waiting for XP to die since it came out. We now have a vialbe alternative in Windows 7. I know some companies can't upgrade without crazy capital investments, but any thought of using an existing tested OS should start and end with Windows 7, as Windows 2000 is the only other OS that I would even consider, and that just is too insecure by today's standards...
This. Remember people.. .never let the facts get in the way of a story that'll drive up the post count and keep this site alive instead of failing as it seems to be doing.
It's a full OS, of course it needs all of that. Windows RT is a full blown operating system. It's exactly the same as the one sold on Desktops and Laptops, except it's ARM based, so can't run x86 code.
Reasonably informed people also know that Windows RT is a full OS, not a toy OS like Android, and not a glorified app launcher like iOS. Were you really expecting that what is essentially Windows 8 for ARM would be 1-2GB? With a mSD slot you can double the storage fairly cheaply anyway, so it's not even an issue.
Because XP is crap. It's missing many behind-the-scenes enhancements and features present in Windows 8 which will wind up making it a worse performer, ancillary interface/usage issues aside. In many cases of two identical systems running Windows XP and Windows 7, for instance, the one running Windows 7 will be faster. And Windows 8 is faster still.
XP is old, it's not aware of newer features or capabilities of modern processors, it is inefficient in its use of availably memory, etc etc... there's a whole bunch of reasons.