You can do EXACTLY same thing with an Asus Transformer, which is cheaper, and works just as well. It even supports multitouch gestures when connected remotely to your Win8 PC.
most require a desktop client to be installed on the other machine - in instances where you have only user permissions on the other machine (work) this becomes troublesome.
I'm not talking about software that needs a server (like VNC); I'm literally talking about clients that talk the Microsoft RDP protocol. There are plenty to choose from for either platforms
Also if your work using something like Citrix; clients exist for both platforms for that as well.
RDP is a protocol implemented directly in dozens of clients in both the Apple app store and Google's play store. No need for installs on the target machine.
i did look at the asus tablets, and an HP that was similar (but ran full win 8 - much like an ultrabook that snapped into its keyboard), but i decided on the surface based on my personal preferences. I actually started out with a Nexus - it was great, but found i would consistently put down the tablet to do something on my pc that i got frustrated trying to do on the tablet. Further, the surface hardware quality was worth the extra 130$ over the transformer in my opinion.
TDLR: Hardware quality + preference of metro over android
