A:AnswerYea it is a physical copy of Minecraft, there is just no release date for the game as of right now. It is available on the eShop if you don't want to wait or are limited on space.
A:AnswerYes, it should be able to let you save your Microsoft account but usually not the avatar on different devices Example- if you play on the Nintendo, and then log on The ipad your account will show up but not your skin (character) you will probably have a Steve or Alex (the default skins)