Some might forgot that Microsoft was one of the first to the tablet market. Back in the 2000s, Bill Gates saw tremendous potential in the future of tablet devices. So much so that he pushed his company to invest in pen-input. But the technology wasn't right for the time, nor was the supposition that tablets should operate like a desktop computer. Tablet PCs of the day, also known as "Slate PCs", were thick, heavy, and had terrible battery life, not to mention they were built for stylus input and not optimized for finger input.

And while Microsoft continued to invest in the thought that consumers and business users wanted to experience the old Windows desktop in various forms (remember what Windows Mobile looked like?), Apple had a different idea, and one that has become the prevailing way of thinking: that the best way to interact with a tablet is not by pecking tiny minimize buttons with a plastic pointing device, but by interacting naturally with one's finger.

Now, it's time to play catch up. Windows 8 is a tale of two experiences: one for touch, one for productivity. And the Surface is the manifestation of this new approach in software. Microsoft's philosophy is simple: consumers want great full-screen touch apps, but they also want to be productive and run "real" Windows apps when needed. It's a tall order, and one only destined to be addressed by full Windows 8 Pro devices, which are not yet on the market.

In this review, we'll cover the Surface RT, which is designed to run with special ARM-based apps that can only be purchased through Microsoft's application catalogue -- more on what the Surface RT can and cannot do later. less