[mgmueller]

I have to do further testing over the weekend.
But so far, I clearly can say: Fan hasn't been bothersome so far. No vibrations (I've held 2 Toshiba Satellite U920Ts in Media Markt, one was vibrating quite intensively. No idea, whether this was a "Monday unit" or the other none-vibrating-one simply hadn't been stressed enough yet) at all.
Minimum noise level (don't even want to call it "noise", it's nothing more than a whisper) probably less than 20% of the time.
I really was worried about that. Fan noise on a tablet would be a "no go" for me. But it doesn't seem to be a problem.

I think, weight may be a problem.
I guess the weight is explainable, given the performance-level. I wouldn't hold my MacBook Air for prolonged time in my hands either.
I've briefly played "Angry Birds in Space" on it while on the train. It's in landscape mode, but still I felt the weight after only a few minutes. In portrait mode it obviously would have been even more problematic.
And that's what I mean by "finding the niche":
Surface Pro certainly works great in ultrabook mode. The Kickstand works fine, both keyboards/covers are phantastic. But weight and dimensions are quite similar to, in my case, MAcBook Air. I don't see any real advantage re. bootup-time, battery life, weight, performance, ...
If I want to work on the train or in the hotel, I can take my ultra-compact and -mobile MacBook Air with me.
In tablet mode, it of course offers way more than the competition. You simply can choose from more programs and a broader spectrum of options. Even the simplest of tasks, such as using my UMTS-stick, already would push all other tablets to the limit. But again: If I want to go that far, I can do all that on an equally compact ultra-book.

Meaning:
It's doing perfectly fine in all instances.
It's not a compromise, it's a great design. Or maybe more of a design-study.
Maybe ahead of its time?
To me, as a "player" and "collector", it's a must-have-addition to my collection.
But I have difficulties finding scenarios, where it would be the only workable solution.

Maybe for field engineers or similar jobs a rugged version would be perfect.
Even then the added weight may be too much, but it might be worth it.
But for most demands?

Don't get me wrong:
I don't see any flaws in design or functionality.
Microsoft has done a great job.
And I find Windows 8 an absolutely worthy competitor to iOS and Android. In lots of areas even benchmark.
But for a tablet, every 100g of additional weight count. And for most demands the other tablets probably deliver enough and are more comfortable to hold...

But: I'm glad to have it and it definitely will be amongst my main travel companions.
For me, the weight isn't that troublesome. I'm taking some luggage with me on my trips anyway...