I was rather hoping the keyboard would be included with the package. I think Microsoft can ill afford to charge so much for an accessory that is pretty much a USP for their tablets.
I think that's fair.
The surface does offer more storage at the $500 level, but the ipad has a higher resolution screen.
With as much fan fare as they have given to the two keyboards and their prominence in the first commercial, it seems like a missed opportunity to not include it.
I don't know the retail logistics, but they could have at least put together some sort of "savings bundle", so that they people could choose their keyboard colour.