ebay seller “ManufacturerCertified” is offering the best deal yet on the much maligned Surface RT Windows RT tablet from Microsoft, as its selling the 32GB version with bundled Touch Cover for $199.99 with free shipping, much less than the latest price cut for new units which are still considered overpriced for their contents as new units still do not include the Touch Cover.
While Microsoft has lost over one billion dollars on Surface RT tablets and OEMs have backed away from the operating system, the forthcoming Windows 8.1 update is expected to significantly improve RT, though to what extent isn’t known yet as Microsoft is shying away from specifics while relying on ad campaigns that bend the truth on the multitasking capabilities of Surface RT tablets compared to the iPad.
Nonetheless, for $199 with free shipping, the refurbished Surface RT with Touch Cover makes a decent companion to a Windows 8 desktop if all you need is Office and IE multitasking; outside of that functionality or at a higher price tag, it gets harder if not impossible to justify without a larger application library.
Walled garden. No ability to sideload apps. No desktop apps like Chrome, Firefox, or even Notepad++.
No thanks. I’d rather have an Android 3.2 tablet. Seriously. I’m apparently not alone in that regard considering the price.