That's probably the most likely truth. Once again, we live in a borderland, where old specs and qualities mingle with new ones. Like hopping from one USB to the next... I would still say that the Win8 Upgrade Assistant gives you hope, considering touch - sounds like you may get an upgrade, firmware, BIOS, Windows, the whole pack. Everything may be different in three months?Okay, I bought it from Netonnet Norway. Their description does not say anything about touch, nor does ASUS.
However, when I ran the Win8 Upgrade Assistant, it said ''The touch screen is not made for Windows 8. You can still use this touch screen with Windows 8, but it won't be as fast, and movements won't be as precise as a touch screen made for Windows 8''.