>what is radically different about it compared to the other countless tries of putting a keyboard with a touchscreen ? It is not one thing, it's multiple: 1.

>what is radically different about it compared to the other countless tries of putting a keyboard with a touchscreen ? It is not one thing, it's multiple: 1. Software. In iOS/Android keyboard support is limited, most of applications are not designed with it in the mind and some don't work at all because of faked input controls instead of native. Windows superior in keyboard support over iOS/Android and in touch support over own previous versions. Also almost full Office suite on RT is not such joke as any editor on iOS/Android. 2. Integration. Power is supplied over connector, I2C has lower delay than bluetooth and full n-key rollover support, there is automatic lock of screen orientation based on accelerometers in both keyboard and tablet and so on. It's impossible to leave it at home by accident. 3. Quality. Surface's keyboards are thin and better in quality than most of competitors. They have almost standard layout and key size. >My question would be, my parents hated using an iPad with a keyboard, would they be better off with a surface? Nobody knows. It's depends of reasons of their hate. Surface's keyboard is still compromise even if better than iPad.