One of the big things in favor of the Windows RT version of Surface is its standard USB port, something that the iPad and many Android-based tablets don't have. That means, in theory, a large number of USB-based products can be connected to Surface.
However, the reality is that Windows RT is an all new operating system from Microsoft that is running on ARM-designed processors. As a result, the Windows RT version of Surface, and indeed any Windows RT-based product, could have a number of compatibility problems with USB-based devices.
PCWorld.com reports that, according a list from HP, the majority of its 200 currently supported LaserJet and ColorJet laser printers will work with Windows 8, but only 34 of them are compatible with Windows RT. A list of 110 laser and inkjet printers from Dell shows that only 34 of them work with Windows RT. That includes just two of Dell's inkjet printers.
The good news? Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64, says that even with those low compatibility numbers, Windows RT-based devices like Surface will work with more printers than other tablets, saying, "Most people who have been buying tablets to date, including Android and iOS tablets, they hardly ever print ...".
Source: PCWorld.com | Image via Microsoft
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