In late summer 2015 Microsoft quietly acknowledged that Windows RT devices would not be upgraded to the full Windows 10 experience, but promised a small, targeted refresh — a September update that would bring an improved Start menu and a refreshed lock screen to Surface RT and Surface 2 owners. That announcement briefly reopened a conversation about what vendors owe buyers of moribund platforms, why ARM-based Windows diverged from mainstream Windows, and whether a cosmetic Start-menu transplant could meaningfully extend the life of devices designed for a different era.
Source: Ubergizmo Enhanced Start Menu Could Be Windows RT’s Last Hurrah In September – Ubergizmo
Background
What was Windows RT, and why did it matter?
Windows RT was Microsoft’s ARM-focused variant of Windows 8, shipped primarily on Microsoft’s Surface RT (2012) and Surface 2 (2013). It looked and felt like Windows 8/8.1 for many tasks, but it had a defining technical limitation: it could only run binaries compiled for ARM and Windows Store apps, not traditional Win32/x86 desktop applications. That architectural split is at the root of why Windows RT never merged with mainstream Windows on feature parity, and why its upgrade path diverged once Microsoft pivoted to Windows 10.The 2015 announcement — what Microsoft said
In mid‑2015 Microsoft’s Windows 10 FAQ and public comments by company representatives clarified its stance: Windows RT devices would not be upgraded to the full Windows 10 platform, but Microsoft planned an update for Windows RT users in September 2015 to “improve the Start menu and lock screen.” That language was terse, but it explicitly set expectations — a limited polish, not a platform migration. Reporting and analysis at the time echoed Microsoft’s phrasing and emphasized the constrained scope of changes.The promised “Update 3”: scope and technical reality
What the update was said to include
The update commonly described as Windows 8.1 RT Update 3 (or simply the RT September refresh) was repeatedly reported to bring two visible changes to Windows RT devices:- An enhanced Start menu resembling the hybrid menu Microsoft previewed for Windows 10 — a compact left-hand program list with live tiles on the right.
- A refreshed lock screen that mirrored the visual refreshes shipping with Windows 10.
Why Microsoft could not — and would not — deliver full Windows 10 to RT
There were three overlapping constraints behind Microsoft’s decision:- Architectural limits: Windows RT’s ARM binaries, depot and kernel constraints, and the platform’s app model meant it didn’t support the full Windows desktop app ecosystem (Win32), and it lacked the newer Windows 10 APIs that underpin many of the OS’s features. Backporting those APIs would have been closer to building a new OS than a minor update.
- UWP/Store fragmentation: Windows 10 introduced the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and a unified app model; RT devices were stuck on the Windows 8.1 app model and therefore couldn’t run the new UWP binaries without significant platform changes.
- Device firmware and security policy: Many ARM devices used locked‑down firmware and Secure Boot policies that made installing alternate low‑level images or re-architecting the boot process more difficult than on typical x86 PCs. Historically, those firmware restrictions were deliberately chosen by Microsoft and OEMs for device security and to protect user experience, but they also constrained community-driven ports or replacements.
Timeline and rollout: promise versus reality
The public signals and press coverage
From July through August 2015 the narrative was straightforward: Microsoft would not let Windows RT devices upgrade to Windows 10, but it planned an RT‑specific update in September that would add a Start menu and update the lock screen. Tech press outlets — PCWorld, Computerworld, Ars Technica, TechCrunch, and others — amplified the FAQ language and WinBeta’s reporting about the likely contents and technical limitations of the update. Gabriel Aul, Microsoft’s then‑Insider program lead, also posted platform timing hints via social channels.Did Microsoft actually ship the update in September 2015?
Here the historical record is mixed and warrants caution. Several contemporary reports and regional news sites documented the appearance of a Windows RT Start‑menu update — in some cases referencing an update package (KB3033055) and screenshots circulated on social media — and several outlets claimed the refresh had started rolling out mid‑September. That said, Microsoft’s official update history pages for Surface RT and Surface 2 show little evidence of a broad, labeled product update in September; for Surface RT the update history entry for September 2015 reports “No product updates were released for Surface RT in September.” This mismatch suggests Microsoft’s delivery was either highly staged, reclassified in distribution channels, or selectively rolled out such that it didn’t register as a named “product update” in the public history logs. In short: while the feature appeared for many users, Microsoft’s official records do not present a tidy single‑date mass rollout, so the exact scale and timing deserve cautious qualification.What the RT Start menu actually delivered — and what it didn’t
Delivered: a visual and interaction uplift
The RT Start menu that users received combined elements of earlier Windows 10 technical preview menus and classic Start behavior:- Left‑column access to Documents, Pictures, Control Panel and a condensed apps list.
- Right‑column live tiles giving quick-launch access to Store apps.
- A toggle to revert to the full‑screen Start if users preferred the old workflow.
Not delivered: app parity, Continuum, Windowed Modern apps
The update explicitly left out the major platform features of Windows 10:- RT devices did not gain the UWP runtime or the full Windows Store ecosystem that came with Windows 10. New UWP apps and the later Windows 10 touch Office builds required APIs that were not backported to RT.
- There was no Continuum tablet/desktop mode ported to Windows RT; Modern/Store apps continued to run in the same full‑screen manner they always had on RT.
- The capability to run Modern apps in windowed desktop frames (a hallmark of Windows 10 on x86) was not introduced.
Support, life‑cycle and risk: what RT users faced afterward
Hardware servicing and Windows RT lifecycle
Microsoft’s product and firmware lifecycle pages later clarified the servicing windows for Surface RT and Surface 2. The Surface RT device reached its end‑of‑servicing date for firmware and drivers on April 11, 2017; the Surface 2 passed its end‑of‑servicing date on April 10, 2018. Separately, Windows RT (the operating system) followed a Fixed Lifecycle Policy and its extended security updates concluded on January 10, 2023. Those dates matter because they changed the calculus for owners weighing continued use versus replacement: after the hardware driver/firmware servicing dates or the platform end‑of‑support date, devices remained functional but increasingly exposed to unpatched security risks.Security and compliance implications
A cosmetic Start‑menu update doesn’t change the fundamental security profile of an OS. Even after Microsoft’s RT refresh, the platform’s security posture depended on continued security updates and firmware/driver support. Microsoft’s lifecycle documents make the tradeoffs clear: once mainstream support ends, Windows does not receive security updates and the attack surface grows. For businesses and security‑conscious users, that reality meant the RT update was a usability stopgap, not a long‑term mitigation.Critical analysis: strengths, motives, and risks
Strengths — why Microsoft did the minimal update
- Customer goodwill: issuing a visible improvement for RT owners acknowledged the product’s buyers and reduced immediate friction for users who had invested in Surface RT/Surface 2 hardware.
- Engineering efficiency: backporting a DirectUI Start menu (from early preview code) was far cheaper and less risky than porting Windows 10’s XAML + API stack to ARM‑RT devices.
- Product clarity: by drawing a line — Windows RT would stay on an 8.1 baseline with limited feature backports — Microsoft kept Windows 10’s roadmap simpler and avoided fragmentation of its new platform.
Risks and shortcomings — what the update didn’t solve
- User expectations versus reality: marketing a “Start menu improvement” risked creating the impression of a broader platform upgrade among non‑technical users, leaving many disappointed when app compatibility and newer features didn’t arrive.
- Security illusion: a visual refresh can be mistaken for ongoing platform support. The RT update did nothing to prolong the security lifecycle beyond Microsoft’s published end‑of‑support timelines.
- Fragmentation confusion: the Windows family already suffered from fragmentation with multiple SKUs and divergent device experiences; the RT update underscored the complexity for IT admins and consumers trying to map feature sets to devices.
What this episode taught Windows users and enterprise buyers
Lessons for consumers
- When a vendor promises a “minor” or “subset” update for legacy hardware, treat that as a polish, not a platform migration. Minor UX upgrades rarely alter compatibility or security posture.
- If long-term security and compatibility matter, plan hardware refreshes around vendor lifecycle dates, not single feature updates. Microsoft’s lifecycle pages gave explicit end dates that should have been the basis for replacement planning.
Lessons for enterprise and IT teams
- Validate upgrade paths: hardware‑level constraints (firmware locks, processor architecture, driver availability) shape upgrade feasibility more than user‑visible UI differences.
- Use lifecycle dates for procurement: the end‑of‑servicing and end‑of‑support dates are the least ambiguous signals to base retirement schedules on.
- Communicate clearly to users: avoid internal confusion by telling staff what a vendor’s update does and does not change — especially when an announcement contains words like “improve” or “some of the functionality.”
Retrospective: was the Start‑menu refresh Windows RT’s “last hurrah”?
On balance, the RT September refresh behaved exactly as announced: a limited UI improvement, not a resurrection. For users who wanted a tidier, more familiar entry point to apps and files, the Start menu was worthwhile. For anyone seeking access to Windows 10‑era apps, Continuum, or the broader UWP ecosystem, the update was necessarily insufficient. The move reads as a pragmatic accommodation — a last, modest gesture to a product Microsoft had decided to stop evolving at the platform level. Contemporary reporting captured this compromise accurately and consistently.Practical checklist for owners of Surface RT / Surface 2 (historical but instructive)
- Check your Windows RT version and ensure the system is running the latest available RT 8.1 updates from Windows Update.
- If you value security and receive no more driver/firmware or OS security updates, plan a migration to a supported device or service before the end‑of‑support dates for your platform.
- Back up critical data and keep recovery images for your device while it’s still supported.
- Consider web‑first workflows (browser apps, cloud storage, SaaS) if local native app options are limited.
- Avoid treating UI refreshes as proxies for security updates — always verify the lifecycle calendar for real protection guarantees.
Conclusion
The September 2015 Windows RT refresh illustrates an important product‑management and customer‑relations dynamic: vendors can and sometimes should deliver targeted improvements to existing customers even when a product line is being phased out. But UI cosmetics are not substitutes for platform support. Microsoft’s decision to ship an improved Start menu and lock screen for Windows RT devices gave owners a better day‑to‑day experience, but it did not — and technically could not — change the device’s underlying capabilities or long‑term security posture. For buyers, IT managers and enthusiasts, the episode reinforces a simple truth: software compatibility and security depend on architecture and lifecycle, not on a prettier launcher.Source: Ubergizmo Enhanced Start Menu Could Be Windows RT’s Last Hurrah In September – Ubergizmo
