Well lowering your expectations makes it sound like you should accept an inferior product just for the sake of sticking to a brand or in some cases, not wanting to go with another certain popular brand out of some sort of disdain for the product. It’s not that at all. Is Surface RT underwhelming and should we wait for the full featured Windows 8 Pro version of Surface? The answer is a contradictory No and Yes, respectively. But the devil is really in the details, so I’ll explain. Surface RT is no less a tablet computer than and IPad or an Android tablet is. And that’s really the point. People in the tech industry who critique the Surface RT usually point out that the desktop portion isn’t very useful, that they can’t run their x86 applications, or that it’s underpowered. Well, you have to do a comparison directly to an IPad or Android tablet to be fair, not to the full version of Windows 8. If you are looking for a full-fledged computer to run your x86 packages then get one, but don’t complain about RT not being Windows 8 Full then go and get an IPad because of that, which won’t run those applications either. Do you see how silly that is? Surface RT is great for sitting on the couch reading news via the many news apps available, or at the Coffee shop going through a couple days’ worth of emails in your corporate inbox via the Microsoft Mail ActiveSync client, or checking Facebook/Twitter or any number of CONSUMPTION oriented tasks. Exactly the things you’d be doing with your IPad or Android tablet. After using an RT for several days I’ve come to realize that and enjoyed it for what it is. If you try to use the desktop portion as you would on a laptop running Windows 8 you will be somewhat disappointed. It’s not touch optimized, but if you have the keyboard it’s pretty functional. But, again, you don’t need too because the RT is a tablet and the majority of what you will want to use is in the touch optimized “Don’t call me Metro, dude” user interface.

The Surface Pro will do a much better job of bridging that gap between computer and tablet. You will have way more powerful hardware and you will be able to run your x86 applications (i.e., the programs you’d install on your laptop or desktop, not marketplace only apps.), and with some minimal“docking” capabilities even attach it to a monitor while sitting at your desk.You can do this with your RT, but the Pro version will allow you to use it more like a desktop so having a large screen gives you that warm and comfy feeling of using a real laptop.

The RT isn’t perfect at all, but I’ve never been one to feel like I needed to run out and buy a tablet of any kind. I find that if I’m not using my laptop, I’m using my Android phone, and I’ve never really felt there was a void in the middle for a tablet to fill. I love Android, but I can’t see having an Android phone and a tablet. I’m not really a fan of Apple and don’t see much use for the IPad. The RT at least allows me to go ahead and fill that useless spot between laptop and phone and make me feel like I have a cool, new,but also pretty functional device from an overall tablet perspective. Plus,sitting on the couch Saturday night reading a book in my kindle app on a screen much larger than my phone was pretty nice, I must admit. Is it $499 nice? No.If Kindle was all I wanted then I’d have bought a $200 Nexus 7 tablet. I wanted a few other things though not the least of which was its seamless integration of Skydrive, which is probably the coolest and most practical feature. Skydrive on Android is not the same. It’s nice on my phone in a pinch when I need some info quickly, or to upload something I found, but on RT I can actually work using Skydrive.

So now you are asking should I go out and by Surface RT or wait for Pro? Maybe. Haha. Best Buy has the 32GB version with the keyboard(which also acts as a cover) for $599, and when the Pro version comes out it’s going to be in the $999 range. That’s steep. You might as well just spend a little more and get a Lenovo Yoga or a Dell XPS 12 and get the best of both worlds at that price. If the RT was somewhere in between the price of a Nexus 7 Tablet ($199 for a 32GB) and an IPad ($499 for a 32GB) and the Pro would be about the price of the IPad, then it would be a no brainer…get a Surface. They are much cooler than either Android or the IPad. At current pricing though very costly for what you get. But all things considered, you really need to think about what you are using it for. Checking email, Facebook, or reading a book on Kindle or playing any number of stupid time consuming little games, then get the Nexus 7 and save yourself some money. But if you want a functional tablet and plan to use it for all those things PLUS integrate it into your professional workload, then get the Surface. RT for a light workload and Pro for the heavier lifting.