With the release of the first generation Surface Pro, Microsoft launched the Type Cover which has tactile keys. Microsoft never made another Touch Cover after the release of the Surface Pro 3. In addition, the Touch Cover 2 also supported key gestures and was backwards compatible with the first generation Surface devices. With the release of the Surface 2 a Touch Cover 2 was announced which increased the number of sensors to 1,092 and added backlit keys while being thinner than the original Touch Cover. It's worth noting that I'm a big guy and have large hands, I was worried that my hands would be too cramped it's not something I notice - although I can imagine after several hours use this would become a problem.The original touch cover came with 80 touch sensors and was pressure sensitive.

The keys are soft to the press with a nice sound, all are responsive and despite being a smaller than full size keyboard, I have had no difficulty achieving a full typing speed of around 90 wps. I have noticed on this version that the keys are backlit and I do find that useful at night when browsing the internet under low light, I don't believe the cheaper options offer that. If you're not going to use the surface an awful lot, if looks and feels aren't that important to you, and if this is just going to be a laptop replacement, then get the cheaper version. You can absolutely feel the quality with the keys, and yes the type cover feels nice, but for me that's more of a bonus. I would say you most definitely need a cover for the Surface Pro and you definitely need the keyboard so this is a perfect combination.

I got the platinum Signature type cover because it was on a discount. It's an expensive add-on, some would say extravagant.