Originally Posted by
jghassell
This is what bugs me about Microsoft's messaging of Windows 8 and Windows RT. you get the impression you can install other software like any other computer but this is not the case at all. You can add anything sold in the Windows Store that is Windows RT compatible, but you can't install regular x86/x64/Wintel stuff. It just simply won't work.
Unless Microsoft specifically comes out with Office Professional for RT or Outlook for RT, and they've indicated no plans that this is the case, you won't be able to run Outlook in the Surface RT. A shame, too. What a huge miss.
As a power user, I want to agree with your last statement, but as I look at the general user base, outlook just doesn't matter. How many of your family & friends use gmail, yahoo mail, hotmail or other web based email program instead of outlook. Most people I talk to either don't know what outlook is, or just know they don't use it, and and don't want it. I'd argue 70%+ of typical consumers don't care about outlook.
Business users are the ones using outlook, and they would likely be more attracted to the Pro version of Surface anyways, which does run traditional desktop apps on x86/64 based processors.