Consider this common set of events…
You are at work and create a simple Excel worksheet because that is the application you have loaded on your work laptop. Perhaps it is a grocery list, schedule, or some other file you need at home. (I’m sure you created this personal file on your lunch break.) You save it to Dropbox or some other file sharing application, go home, grab your Windows 8 Pro tablet … and cant open the file. You have not purchased a copy of Microsoft Office for your tablet!
Ironically, the solution is simple. Open your Android or Apple device and you can view the document fine in one of the free applications that come on your phone. Or, you could spend $139 on Microsoft Office Home and Student. Or you could subscribe to Office 365 Home Premium for $100 per year Of course, there are free options. You could use Google Drive on all your devices. You could load one of the Office alternatives on your Microsoft Tablet. Regardless of the product you choose, you will not be able to use a Windows 8.1 Pro device without loading additional software.
Don’t forget virus scan
Remember, a Windows 8.1 Pro tablet is running a full version of Windows. This means you should protect it the same way you would protect a Windows PC or laptop. You should install a Virus scanner. There are plenty of free versions for home use but be careful what you download. There are dozens of sites that distribute “free virus scanners” which are really just viruses.
Don’t forget to install and update Adobe Readers, JAVA, and Flash
If you need them, you will be installing applications like Java and Adobe Flash. Keep in mind that these applications are some of the most attacked on the Internet. Just loading them dramatically increases the risk you run of getting a virus or other malware. You must ensure these applications are up to date at all times to mitigate this risk. (Installing virus scanning alone will not help.)
Don’t forget to backup your data
Unlike an Apple or Android device where you can backup everything to the cloud for free, you are going to have to find software to backup your Windows 8.1 Pro tablet. There are inexpensive solutions out there but none that I trust are free.
What about Windows RT?
Windows RT is s version of Windows that does not run traditional Windows Apps. It is not the same thing as Windows. You cannot install software on it unless it comes from the Windows Store. It does come with a scaled down version of Microsoft Office though.
I don’t recommend Windows RT devices yet because they don’t have the same quantity of software that Apple and Android devices have. It is also doing poorly in the market right now and Microsoft has a habit of pulling poorly performing products off the market (Anyone remember the Microsoft Phone?)
Don’t buy a Windows 8.1 Pro device if all you want is to consume information
If you want a tablet to surf the web, update social media, and create simple files like grocery lists then a tablet is the perfect device for you. Either Apple or Android will work great for you. I am a fan of “staying in one ecosystem” meaning if I buy things on iTunes then I need to stick with Apple devices. If I buy things from Amazon or Google then I should buy Android devices.
I would only buy a Windows 8.1 Pro device if I need to sit and type for eight hours a day. Remember, if it runs Windows 8.1 Pro it is the same as a laptop or PC, just in a smaller case. You have to manage it just s you would a Windows PC. For most people, an Apple or Android device will be much less work to use.
Decomplexification 