When did Microsoft promise you could run desktop applications on Surface RT?
By giving customers the standard Windows Desktop in Surface RT it's implied that it's Windows compatible. It looks like Windows but really isn't since no Windows legacy apps will run. Windows 8 was and is a massive failure, almost all of the team that created it has been fired from Microsoft up to the President of the Windows Division Steven Sinofsky and all the way up to the CEO Steve Ballmer. Microsoft counts all PC's that ship with Win8 as a new Windows 8 customer when in fact most immediately get reimaged with Windows 7. I never thought something could fail more than Visa but Win8 achieved that. Microsoft's best customers Fortune 500 companies shune Windows 8 and refuse to install it in their enterprise. Some do like Windows 8 and that is also a problem since now Microsoft has divided and confused their customer base on a massive scale. No competitor could have done the titanic damage that Microsoft has inflicted on itself.
From Windows Supersite.
"Windows 8 is not well-designed. It's a mess. But Windows 8 is a bigger problem than that. Windows 8 is a disaster in every sense of the word.
This is not open to debate, is not part of some cute imaginary world where everyone's opinion is equally valid or whatever. Windows 8 is a disaster. Period."
http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/what-heck-happening-windowsFrom Infoworld
"More Microsoft exec departures mark end of a Windows era
With Jon DeVaan and Grant George officially retired and most of rest of Windows 8 team out to pasture, Microsoft silently acknowledges complete lack of faith in Windows 8."
http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsoft-windows/more-microsoft-exec-departures-mark-end-of-windows-era-233279