Windows RT

Windows RT is an operating system for mobile devices developed by Microsoft. It is essentially an edition of Windows 8.x built for the 32-bit ARM architecture (ARMv7). First unveiled as a prototype in January 2011 at Consumer Electronics Show, the Windows 8 RT operating system was officially launched alongside Windows 8 on October 26, 2012, with the release of three Windows RT-based devices, including Microsoft's Surface tablet. Unlike Windows 8, Windows RT is only available as pre-loaded software on devices specifically designed for the operating system by OEMs.

Microsoft intended for devices with Windows RT to take advantage of the architecture's power efficiency to allow for longer battery life, to use system-on-chip (SoC) designs to allow for thinner devices, and to provide a "reliable" experience over time. In comparison to other mobile operating systems, Windows RT also supports a relatively large number of existing USB peripherals and accessories, and includes a version of Microsoft Office 2013 optimized for ARM devices as pre-loaded software. However, while Windows RT inherits the appearance and functionality of Windows 8, it has a number of limitations; it can only execute software that is digitally signed by Microsoft (which includes pre-loaded software and Windows Store apps), and it lacks certain developer-oriented features.

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface (or simply Surface) is a series of Windows-based personal computing devices designed and manufactured by Microsoft under its hardware division, a part of the Windows and Devices group. It comprises hybrid tablets, 2-in-1 detachables, and an interactive whiteboards.

The first generation devices under the Surface name were introduced on June 18, 2012, and the most recent models currently available are the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, which were released on October 26, 2015.

The Surface family consists of three major lines of PCs: the Surface line comprises budget 2-in-1 detachables (while the previous now discontinued models of this line were Windows RT-powered hybrid tablets), designed for budget-oriented consumers and educational users, the Surface Pro line of 2-in-1 detachables, designed for demanding users, and the Surface Book, the line consisting of a single 2-in-1 detachable, positioned as a laptop. There is also the Surface Hub, an interactive whiteboard.

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows (or simply Windows) is a metafamily of graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Microsoft. It consists of several families of operating systems, each of which cater to a certain sector of the computing industry. Active Windows families include Windows NT, Windows Embedded and Windows Phone; these may encompass subfamilies, e.g. Windows Embedded Compact (Windows CE) or Windows Server. Defunct Windows families include Windows 9x and Windows Mobile.

Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985, as a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal computer market with over 90% market share, overtaking Mac OS, which had been introduced in 1984. However, since 2012, because of the massive growth of smartphones, Windows sells less than Android, which became the most popular operating system in 2014, when counting all of the computing platforms each operating system runs on; in 2014, the number of Windows devices sold were less than 25% of Android devices sold. However, comparisons across different markets are not fully relevant; and for personal computers, Windows is still the most popular operating system.

Surface (first generation)

The first-generation Surface (launched as Surface with Windows RT, later marketed as Surface RT) is a hybrid tablet computer, that was developed and manufactured by Microsoft. Announced on June 18, 2012, it was released on October 26, 2012, and was the first ever personal computer designed in-house by Microsoft.

Positioned as a direct competitor to Apple's iPad line, Surface included several notable features, including a folding kickstand, which allows the tablet to stand at some angles, and the ability to attach optional protective covers that incorporate keyboards. Surface served as the launch device for Windows RT, a variation of Windows 8 that was designed for devices based on ARM architecture. Windows RT contains notable differences and limitations compared to Windows 8, including several removed features, being bundled with a special edition of Microsoft Office 2013 Home & Student, and, besides software included with the operating system, being incompatible with desktop software that runs on Windows 8 for personal computers and tablets with Intel compatible processors. Windows RT can only run Metro-style apps obtained from Windows Store. However visually resembling Surface Pro 2-in-1 detachable, Surface is not considered a 2-in-1 PC, being in fact a variant of a hybrid tablet.

Surface

In mathematics, specifically, in topology, a surface is a two-dimensional, topological manifold. The most familiar examples are those that arise as the boundaries of solid objects in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space R³, such as a sphere. On the other hand, there are surfaces, such as the Klein bottle, that cannot be embedded in three-dimensional Euclidean space without introducing singularities or self-intersections.

To say that a surface is "two-dimensional" means that, about each point, there is a coordinate patch on which a two-dimensional coordinate system is defined. For example, the surface of the Earth resembles (ideally) a two-dimensional sphere, and latitude and longitude provide two-dimensional coordinates on it (except at the poles and along the 180th meridian).

The concept of surface finds application in physics, engineering, computer graphics, and many other disciplines, primarily in representing the surfaces of physical objects. For example, in analyzing the aerodynamic properties of an airplane, the central consideration is the flow of air along its surface.