Nat writes about the Surface RT:

“The solution would be a tablet that is smart about the tech ecosystem around it, can stand comfortably on a desk or function as a tablet, has a compact but usable keyboard, and is compatible with the document formats that we work in every day.

That pretty much sums up the Surface. Within 20 minutes of turning it on, we had mapped network drives, printed documents to network printers, edited Word and Excel documents, updated our Dynamics CRM system through the IE 10 browser, flipped through a book on Kindle, streamed music from a network share and from a Google music account and, yes, we also watched a YouTube video.

The hardware design is also worth a mention. A flip-out kickstand adds immensely to the utility of the device. I found it effective on a desk as well as in my lap. The touch cover is nowhere near as good as a traditional keyboard, but vastly more effective and usable than any other tablet input device that I have tried, including Bluetooth keyboards.

The new Surface brings utility and productivity to the tablet form factor.“

Michael’s Comments
1. If your tech ecosystem isn’t Microsoft and you live in the Apple ecosystem, then the iPad does what Nat writes about. With the addition of a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard cover (US$99 vs. $120 for the Touch Cover), it will “stand comfortably on a desk, or function as a tablet.” If you use Apple Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, the iPad will be “compatible with the document formats you work in every day.”

2. On mapping network drives to get to documents, yeah, I could see that would be easier with a Surface. But if the world really is moving to cloud-based solutions, like Box.net, SugarSync, and Dropbox, that specific capability becomes less of a requirement because you get the same result in a different way.

3. On editing Word and Excel documents, if the world is moving to web-based services that offer these capabilities from the cloud, the Surface vs. iPad distinction doesn’t really matter. If it can connect to the Internet, you can do what you need to do.

4. On “The new Surface brings utility and productivity to the tablet form factor,” I agree – but only within the Microsoft ecosystem that’s defined by Word, Excel, and mapped network drives, etc. Since the iPad came out, those who wanted to could have “utility and productivity in a tablet form factor.” It required thinking differently – which is always what has set Apple apart.

5. In summary, the ecosystem you belong to / want to belong to matters. Some people have fled the Microsoft ecosystem and hope never to return. The Surface may be a great device, but it’s a Microsoft product and will draw you back into the ecosystem.