Windows RT is dead as Microsoft ends production of Surface 2 tablet

Microsoft has announced that it will no longer be manufacturing the Surface 2 tablet, signalling the end of the final device running the Windows RT mobile operating system.

Windows RT will continue to be supported, according to Microsoft, with the Surface tablets that run the operating system set to receive an update that will have some of the functionality of Windows 10.

"We are no longer manufacturing Surface 2," Microsoft said in an emailed statement. "However, those still eager to buy Surface should visit Microsoft Retail Stores, MicrosoftStore.com, third-party retailers and resellers for the latest availability."

The Surface 2 came out towards the end of 2013 as the successor to the Surface RT but received a lukewarm reception.

A lack of support for traditional Windows programs meant that users had to rely on third-party developers to make versions of Windows software that could run on the device.

The follow-up to the Surface 2, the Surface Pro 3, performed much better, both in terms of reviews and sales.

On 26 January, Microsoft revealed that revenue for the entire Surface line was around $1.1 billion for the previous quarter, but the vast majority of this came from the Surface Pro 3.

Unlike its predecessors, the Surface Pro 3 ran Windows 8.1 and is eligible for a full update to Windows 10.

"Surface Pro 3 (and the entire Surface Pro lineup) will update to Windows 10," Microsoft said. "We are working on an update for Surface [Windows RT], which will have some of the functionality of Windows 10."

Microsoft was the only company still making Windows RT devices and sales for the devices had been relatively low.

Acer, HTC, Samsung and Toshiba are among those who have previously dropped the idea of producing a Windows RT tablet.

In 2013, HTC scrapped plans to produce tablets running the Windows RT operating system due to the "huge market risk" that it posed.