Business case for Microsoft Surface

We have a request for allowing some .NET software to be made available in a mobile environment, this is currently being developed as a desktop application, but elements of it are going to be exposed on a tablet.

Surface seems a perfect fit, and us writing once on the desktop and tablet would be ideal, rather than converting it to a RT application. Microsoft have become so secretive that no-one knows what they are going to do next. There are a lot of businesses (the people that they ignored) that are looking to use mobile devices. Thus far there is a chorus for an iPad, but having developed an iPad app, their model is not best suited to business.

Would you take a bet on Windows Surface for a business, especially when no road maps or firm commitment is being offered from Microsoft, or shall we just go for an iPad and deal with the issues and inflexible deployment issues that has? I just dont want to commit to writing a Windows Phone 7 app for example, then Microsoft change the platform in 6 months time, because they have decided to do things differently.

Wait, are you asking which hardware platform people would bet on for a business, or which OS? Roadmaps for Surface seem slightly irrelevant, because even if they ditch the Surface line there are plenty of other Windows 8/RT tablet manufacturers.

Have you considered using LightSwitch to develop your application?

Two or three tier deployment at the flick of a switch.

Silverlight (Browser based or Installed application) and/or HTML 5 front ends both developed against the same middle-tier data model & business logic. HTML 5 front-end adapt to different screen sizes. Runs on Android, iPad, Windows RT and Windows. You don't have to fix the hardware spec.

@SimonJ: Lightswitch could have been great but it is built with Silverlight which is defunct when there was loads more they could have added to it. It would be difficult to get approval.

@vesuvius: I believe they have added an HTML5 client option instead of Silverlight.  I keep meaning to investigate further, but who ever get the time?

Herbie

@Dr Herbie: Yes, you are correct about being able to output HTML.

@cbae: This is still CTP, don't think version one of anything is robust enough to deal with the varying demands that customers have, so this feels to be like a product that was abandoned and reconceptualised. If I remember Jason Zanders videos on channel 9, this was a tool to resolve their IT departments specific need for a quick and easy access style applications for their inventory.

It will prove useful, but http://www.kendoui.com/ will run on all platforms, I've not read up too much on the HTML lightswitch client, that may offer the same. I also think the classic LOB application is a thing of the past i.e.  ms access style applications top to bottom. Even on the desktop people want business intelligence, analytics, charting, push notifications, interaction with tablet and phone hardware much like Windows 8 that HTML lacks, even with HTML5