DailyTech - Quick Note: Surface RT Jailbroken

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Gadgets Quick Note: Surface RT Jailbroken
Tiffany Kaiser - January 7, 2013 9:42 AM

10 comment(s) - last by dgingerich.. on Jan 7 at 7:37 PM

(Source: topnews.in)

The jailbreak doesn't allow x86 desktop apps to run on the Surface RT, though

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet was recently jailbroken to run ARM-based desktop apps by a security researcher.

The security researcher, who goes by clrokr, used a particular technique (detailed here) to exploit a setting that restricts the ARM-based desktop apps. While this jailbreak will likely lead to some homemade ARM desktop apps, the exploit needs to be completed each time the tablet is restarted.

Also, the jailbreak doesn't allow x86 desktop apps to run on the Surface RT, as they need to be compiled to ARM in order to work properly.

Surface RT sales have not been impressive since the device's release. Boston-based brokerage firm Detwiler Fenton told Reuters that lack of distribution was killing sales and demand for the Surface RT. Detwiler Fenton even estimated that Microsoft will only sell 500,000 to 600,000 Surface RTs in the December 2012 quarter. This was a strong hit to previous estimates of 1 million to 2 million.

However, now that more apps can be used on the jailbroken Surface with Windows RT, more customers may come along.

Source: On the Surface of Security

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They're wrong

By dgingerich on 1/7/2013 11:20:21 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
Boston-based brokerage firm Detwiler Fenton told Reuters that lack of distribution was killing sales and demand for the Surface RT. Detwiler Fenton even estimated that Microsoft will only sell 500,000 to 600,000 Surface RTs in the December 2012 quarter.

I'm willing to bet there are plenty more people like me who didn't buy a Surface RT because it's simply priced too high. It looks nice, and I'd probably buy one if it were down in the $350-400 range. $500 is just a little too much, especially after I spent $600 on a Galaxy Tab 10.1 about a year and a half ago. They're late to the game and priced too high. That's what's costing them sales.

RE: They're wrong

By andrewaggb on 1/7/2013 12:46:33 PM , Rating: 2

I agree, if it had been available in the ipad 2 timeframe, I'd own a surface for $500-$600. But it was more than a year later, I already have an ipad 2, and the hardware in in the surface is kinda old so I can't justify it. If it had nexus 10 internals, then I probably would have gotten one.

Waiting for a tegra 4 or haswell version now.

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RE: They're wrong

By Florinator on 1/7/2013 3:18:35 PM , Rating: 1

quote:
$500 is just a little too much, especially after I spent $600 on a Galaxy Tab 10.1 about a year and a half ago.

$18,000 for a Corolla is a little too much, especially after I spent $22,000 on a Mazda 3 about a year and a half ago.

WTF? How does that argument make any sense?

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RE: They're wrong

By dgingerich on 1/7/2013 7:37:08 PM , Rating: 2

It means I spent $600 on a tablet, and replacing it with a nearly identical tablet only a year and a half later for that much would not be a reasonable choice.

If there was some significant performance increase, such as the Nexus 10 offers, it might be worth it. I was considering replacing my Galaxy tab with a Nexus 10 at $400. That actually seems semi-reasonable.

...and yes, buying a Corolla for $18k to replace a Mazda 3 that is just a year and a half old would also be unreasonable, unless you have massive problems with the Mazda 3. While the Corolla would be a slightly better, but slower car than the Mazda 3, it wouldn't be worth the money difference, considering you could probably only get about $15k for the Mazda. It's the same logic.

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