It’s fair at this point to say the Surface RT was a failure. Microsoft’s first attempt at a tablet was designed well enough, but the limited Surface RT OS just wasn’t as desirable as the full Windows 8 experience available on the Surface Pro. Microsoft is obviously not going to let Windows RT die like everybody else has, but it might try out a new name to bolster sales.

Neowin reports that the Surface RT’s next iteration will adopt the name Surface 2. It’s not known if the new name is in response to the negative connotations that exist alongside Windows RT, or if it’s just an attempt to simplify the name. I’m betting on the latter as Surface RT was just a stupid name, especially when compared to the much more conventional sounding Surface Pro.

So, what can people expect from the next Surface 2? Current rumors peg the new tablet as being equipped with Nvidia’s new Tegra 4 SoC, a 1080p display and 4GB of RAM. With those specs, it would be one of the better tablets on the market.

Of course, having good hardware is only one part of the equation. From the onset, Windows RT’s problem has always been a lack of software. It supports any and all applications built specifically for Windows 8, but isn’t backwards compatible with programs built for Windows 7 or XP. That reason alone could be why the Surface Pro, with the backwards compatible Windows 8 Pro, was much more popular.

Still, Microsoft could turn it all around with the Surface 2. It just needs to get more developer support behind Windows RT, and the Surface RT could become a serious contender in the tablet market if the price is right. The current $350 price tag for the Surface RT is pretty good, but the Surface 2 needs to remain at that price or even drop to $300 to remain competitive.

[Image: Microsoft Store]