Samsung not to release Windows RT tablet in US after doubts from retail partners

Samsung’s Windows RT tablet have been pulled out of the US market, as Mike Abary, head of Samsung’s PC and tablet business in the US, told CNET at CES 2013 that Samsung ATIV Tab won’t be distributed in the US due to low demand.

After doubts from retail partners regarding demand of Window RT, Samsung is shying away from investing in educating the consumer. The announcement of not releasing Windows RT Tablet in the US comes just after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer during Qualcomm’s CES keynote mentioned Samsung as one of the key partners of Microsoft.

The announcement is a big setback for Microsoft’s Windows RT operating system, which has already failed to attract the consumers. Explaining the reason behind Samsung’s decision to pull out Windows RT tablet from the US market, Abary told CNET that Samsung isn’t clear about positioning of Windows RT’s place in the market relative to Windows 8.

“When we added those two things up, the investments necessary to educate the consumer on the difference between RT and Windows 8, plus the modest feedback that we got regarding how successful could this be at retail from our retail partners, we decided maybe we ought to wait,” Abary told CNET.

Samsung maintains that if the market shifts and demand for products grow it might reevaluate its decision to withhold Windows RT tablet. Mike Abary said that Samsung will watch Windows RT to see how the platform develops over time and consider it down the road.