Consider first that I’ve been a daily iPad user since the day the tablet launched. I’ve never had much affinity for MacOS and Apple desktops, but I have literally used either the iPad, iPad 2 or new iPad every day since April 3, 2010. Tablets work for me. Touch navigation works for me. And the iPad has worked for me—despite the fact that it’s never helped me do any real work.

But now there’s a legitimate alternative to the iPad in my life. For the last few weeks, I’ve been playing with various Windows 8 tablets, including, yes, the new Surface RT, which I took for a spin on Microsoft’s Redmond campus earlier this week.

Windows 8 tablets are the real deal, people, and their unique charms tie directly back to the new OS. Now, make no mistake: Navigating the Windows 8 touch interface involves a steep learning curve. The new touch gestures aren’t intuitive, and this alone cedes important ground to iOS, which is so simple, farm animals could probably figure it out. But as with many vexing software interfaces (think Photoshop or Excel), great power is often locked within seemingly inscrutable UIs.

Think about that as I share the five ways Windows 8 beats iOS...

Continue Reading @: 5 Ways Windows 8 Beats iOS | PCWorld