[TazeTSchnitzel]

The best device for Win8 is what Microsoft calls the "convertible". A device that's a laptop one second and a tablet the next. I particularly like the Surface, and those ultrabooks that bend backwards, so you can use the base of the unit to keep it stood up!

[stephengillie]

Win8's hybrid interface is exactly designed for these hybrid devices that can change use-cases in a second. Surface tablets are just a variation on the tablet/laptop convertible idea. The first convertibles had screens that swiveled 180 degrees, and the back of the screen latched against the keyboard.

Many ideas have been tried out, some having an always-forward screen and a keyboard that "slide-and-rotate" out from underneath. Others have a screen which rotates vertically inside a frame, allowing it to flip over and cover the keyboard.

Surface basically takes the motherboard & battery and fits them behind the screen, instead of under the keyboard. The keyboard itself can become just a detachable accessory. This arrangement isn't new -- it's been used in many mobile devices for more than 10 years.