Agreed. I think that Microsoft is behind the Surface for the long haul the same way it is with the Xbox. Many dismissed the Xbox in the beginning but look at it now. It sits as king of the gaming consoles.
With that said, it doesn't mean that Microsoft doesn't need to make changes to the Surface to make it more affordable and streamlined for the general consumer.
I was thinking the same thing, especially about the XBOX and how it was received early on. All I remember was how the play station was "the only game in town" and the XBOX was not even close. After a few years my younger relatives and my friend's teen kids play Xbox live, etc. Their play stations sit in the closet.
With the Surface many seem to miss the point that this is version 1.0. The iPad is going to have its 5th update including the 2nd version of the mini. The iPad has progressed and changed in each version to make it better. My Niece still uses an original iPad and it works fine. But it is nothing like version 4 except for the form factor. Almost everything in the 1st version is outdated as far as specs go when comparing it to the latest ones. The Surface is a very good tablet right off the bat, but it can only get better as new versions come out in the next few years. Using my friends as a reference, and nothing scientific about it, they really like the Surface, and they still have the fear of switching because of the unknowns of using a new os and how many apps are available. I remember the same kind of fears when the iPad first came out because it was not OS 10 and regular Mac programs would not work. Same thing when smartphones started becoming popular. Now most of my friends cannot function without their smartphones because of all that they do and the majority do not use a regular computer except at work. A few years ago they would not have even thought it possible. The Surface can be successful if more people use it and see it not as their replacement computer, but a next step, a companion to their mobile lifestyle. My point is for the RT, not the Pro. Who knows how long something will remain the top dog, like the iPad, but when people want a change and looking for something different, the Surface could be that product as long as MS does not give up on it too soon.