How sad is my timing? I was in the US until the Wednesday before the launch, even went into a Microsoft Store… If only I could have stayed another 2 days.
I have a Ipad2,so prefer to buy the win8 pro. How do you decide between RT and pro? I still thinking which one I will buy.
Surface Pro is still not available (will be next calendar year). Surface RT is a Windows RT device, meaning it closely represents the ipad software experience (only Windows Store apps). Surface Pro will be a standard Intel-based Windows device that can run all older/legacy “desktop” windows apps.
Do you want store-only apps? If you want legacy app support, you need Pro.
Some additional points to consider:
[ul]Weight - Surface RT is lighter
Dimensions - Surface Pro is slightly thicker
Fan/Cooling - Surface RT has no fan, so it’s completely silent.[/ul]
If you want or need to install desktop applications, then Pro is the way to go.
If Office 2013 Home and Student RT is suitable for productivity, and you’re OK with getting other apps from the Windows Store, then Surface RT may be a good fit. One big plus of Surface RT (and other Windows RT devices) over competing platforms is hardware support. Windows RT supports over 400 million hardware devices. Two I’ve tried myself, a Poiycom CX100 speakerphone, and an Xbox USB controller, both worked perfectly. The latter I used for both the newly-released AgentP game from Disney (you play Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb, one of my kids’ faves), and Reckless Racing.
Gaming. On a tablet. With a REAL controller. Where else can you do that?
Hydra + CP7 + Chucky/NES module, of course… 
AH, but can you write a Word doc on that combo? 
Sounds like feature creep… Surface is a really sharp device. I’m very jealous of you guys picking one up tonight with a Lumia 920 
@ devhammer
You mention the hardware support, “Windows RT supports over 400 million hardware devices.”,
Does it means that Win8 Pro don’t support these hardware devices?
Other question is that if I use Win8 Pro, can I develop the RT APP using VS2012?
I think @ devhammer meant when compared to “other devices”; yes, Windows 8 Pro supports them as well, there are other tablet devices without a USB port that don’t have this level of support for other devices.
Win8 Pro on a Surface Pro or any existing hardware, using VS2012, you can develop Windows Store apps, yes, and those Windows Store apps will run on Windows RT/ Surface RT (@ devhammer and @ Petebrown are the gurus here not me 
)
Thanks Brett:
I think Pro is the answer for me.
We have many choice of Win 8 Pro tablets in Taiwan. I will buy one.
And, I have Petebrown’s book, off cause.
Many choices in Win8 Pro tablets, yes, that’s great news. There’s several still due to arrive here in AU.
He’s written the book that’s why he’s a guru Plus he does that stuff in his day job, so he has an excuse/reason to be
You could always get something like this instead of waiting.
I used one for around 5 minutes in a BestBuy the other day - really like, great feel. You can even get it with 8gb of RAM and an i7 1.9ghz proc!
No Yoga in AU either - I don’t know what their release schedule is but the Yoga is a lot of machine to drool over (this is coming from my Lenovo X220T machine )
Ugh no luck for you guys! I know a fella who could get you one (well, the 4gb model, the 8gb model doesn’t ship for 4+ weeks).
I had an X220 for work (actually, have it again at the moment for a contract)… I mostly dig it, although I like my 13.3" macbook air much better… if I could only bump it to 16gb of ram, it would be perfect (except for not being touch screen - but with a multi-touch trackpad, I find I don’t miss it on a “Dev” box… but that’s what my Surface is for… if it ever shows up!). Was thinking of getting an x230, but I do really miss that extra 1.3" of screen on my MBA versus the x220/230. Doesn’t sound like much, but on a dev box in VS, you really notice it.