Why wait in line for a Microsoft Surface? That’s the question we asked outside the Microsoft Store in Seattle today.

Yes, the line at Seattle’s University Village included lots of people who either work for Microsoft, used to work for the company, or are close to people who do. This is Microsoft’s backyard, after all. But there were also some people in line who had no affiliation with the company, and I found at least a few of them as I talked with people waiting to get their hands on Microsoft’s first tablet.

Check out the video above or continue reading for highlights.

Naresh Bojja: I work at Microsoft as a consultant, so I wrote a couple of enterprise applications for Microsoft. Two are actually published in the Microsoft internal store. So I want to test my apps on Surface. I came here yesterday at 5:30 and I’m waiting in the queue to get the first Surface.

Cole Lummus: It’s the future, and also it’s the first ever computer that Windows has actually built by itself. … Also, the Windows 8 operating system just runs so smoothly. I’ve had the prerelease version for a couple months now.

Taylor Jacobs: More or less I’m just tired of the Apple ecosystem, and everything that it has to offer, because it hasn’t changed at all since it came out. They’ve just been respec-ing the same thing over and over again. So I’m hoping that this will be something different. I have the same friends (as Lummus) at Microsoft and from what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen on Windows 8 so far, I think it will be a lot more user friendly and versatile than anything that Apple has to offer, or pretty much any competitor that I’ve seen so far.

Dylan Walker: The portability of it, and it being able to be used as a laptop. It has the Windows operating system on it. Word and Excel — things that I would use. Also, the price point was really good for me, too. A good selling point. They had a preview video for it (the TouchCover) and that was the main reason why I was like, oh, I have to get one. I thought it was so cool.

Lena Riley: I’m looking at going back to school, and I needed something that’s a little bit better than an iPad, something with a lot more capability. Looked at the specs on the Surface and I liked what I saw. … I just like the fact that it’s portable, so I’ll be able to take notes in class. It has expandable memory. A lot more capability.

Harpreet Singh: I’ve been waiting for about three months. Microsoft Surface has a lot of unique features — Windows RT, also the USB features, which is the primary reason I’m here, to buy the Surface tablet in the first place. I’m pretty excited about this Microsoft product. They’re a few years late to the market, but it’s worth the wait. That’s why I’m here. … Apple does not agree with me. It’s not very user friendly, contrary to popular belief. You cannot manipulate it much. Windows platforms are much more user friendly, and you can engineer it to your liking, basically. That’s why I could never like Apple or the Apple iPhone.

Carter Rabasa: This is the first line I’ve stood in since 2007 when I bought the first generation iPhone. I’m just really excited about the device. I worked at Microsoft when things weren’t quite as cool as they are now. There was no Surface when I was at Microsoft. I guess they waited for me to leave. … I have lots of friends who have iPads. I have an iPhone. I’m not biased. I have a MacBook Air, but I’ve never owned an iPad, because I hate the idea of having three or four or five devices jumbled in my bag. The Surface is the promise of convergence made real in 2012. Maybe it will be a flop, but I’m willing to take a chance on it.

Previously: Yes, there’s a line for Surface in Seattle — with lots of Microsofties in it