I totally agree. I actually love both Linux and my Surface, but I would never put Linux on the Surface, for exactly that reason. Touch-friendliness is one of those things that's just going to take a while on Linux if it comes at all: a lot of the people who might contribute tend to be the same sort of people who turn up their noses at touch interfaces on a desktop OS.
As for the WiFi, that's probably more Microsoft's fault. For some reason they insist on using these godawful Marvell chipsets for all the Surfaces. Users have been yelling at them to pick anything else, but it hasn't stuck.
The Marvell chipsets are awful, this is true. However, I think the only 802.11ac chipset that currently works with Linux is Intel, since Atheros hasn't been Linux-friendly ever since they were bought out by Qualcomm.
As far as I'm aware, there are no WiFi dongles that support 802.11AC. I think your only option is internal. So if you want to connect to a 802.11ac network on a Linux desktop your only option is connecting through a wired connection with a bridged 802.11ac router or something.
I don't personally mind, but I do think it's bad for the adoption of Linux. Most people I know only have Laptops, and if people can't get their WiFi working they aren't going to use Linux.
As for the WiFi, that's probably more Microsoft's fault. For some reason they insist on using these godawful Marvell chipsets for all the Surfaces. Users have been yelling at them to pick anything else, but it hasn't stuck.