Yes, Microsoft did a terrible job communicating what the Surface RT is, what it does, and why it mattered. I have used it extensively. Even then, I would not c

Yes, Microsoft did a terrible job communicating what the Surface RT is, what it does, and why it mattered. I have used it extensively. Even then, I would not compare the Surface RT to an iPad. It is closer to a Chrome Laptop. Sure the RT runs apps, and is a tablet. But, in reality, it runs a full fledge browser and Microsoft Office 2013. When I was using the RT, I spent all of my time in the browser; Google Apps, Basecamp & Campfire, and soundcloud, and Office. Sometimes, I would treat it like a tablet, and watch a movie side-loaded. (My lady uses Netflix and Hulu on it almost everyday at home) I remember the day, my girlfriend purchased the RT. We were walking in the mall, she walked into the Apple store, picked up an iPad. Then she walked over to the Macbooks and couldn't make a decision. She wanted a tablet, but really needed some laptop functionality. We left the Apple store thinking, an iPad would probably be the best choice. This mall happened to have a Microsoft store, and there it was, the Surface. We were both taken in by the colorful keyboards, and the sleek metallic feel of it. But, we knew after a few minutes of playing around, it lacked an App eco-system! Neither of us, knew that it had full Office, and that it had a desktop mode(app). Or why those would even mattered on a tablet! None of the store's employees were of much help. While I was playing with the kickstand, she came over and showed me the type keyboard. I hadn't cared much for it, it didn't look as cool. The keyboard made a huge difference in the usability of the device. It all made sense to me then. The Surface RT isn't a consumption tablet, its a modern day netbook that doubles as a tablet. It could hold its own in the real world. That day she left with Surface RT. This was back in October, almost a year ago. Since, then the Surface RT has proven to be a failure in the market. But, I don't blame the device. The RT was the wrong device to take on the directly iPad. The RT is in its own category, as is the Pro. I see both tablets as a potential future for computing devices. Unfortunately, Microsoft did not communicate that, they barely communicated anything.