Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has an uphill battle on his hands.
He
needs to break into the tablet market, taking on both the iconic
market-leader, the iPad, as well as as an ever-burgeoning range of
svelte Android tablets.
However,
after Microsoft's repeated attempts over 30 years to break into the
tablet market, it now seems the software giant has the right tools to
make it right.
The
Microsoft Surface tablet was officially unveiled in Los Angeles last
night, and from the favourable first impressions, it looks like we have a
three-way race in the tablet market.
The
Surface comes with a 10.6" screen, a clever magnetic cover which
doubles as a keyboard, and a kickstand to hold it upright on a table.
In
a huge paradigm shift for Microsoft, the traditional Windows Desktop
has been scrapped for Microsoft's new 'Metro' tile-based theme.
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The new laptop-esque Surface tablet computer is unveiled by Microsoft, bringing a revolutionary jump to the future of Windows
Microsoft Surface: The new tablet, shown here in the hands of CEO Steve Ballmer, will compete with the iPad
Launch: The tablet is Microsoft's first foray into personal computing hardware for many years
Presentation: The contents of the launch were kept completely secret until the announcement was made
Boss: Mr Ballmer shows off Microsoft's latest gadget at a press conference in Los Angeles
The iPad has been King of the tablet market since its debut in 2010
Surface comes with a number of
features which make it more similar to a laptop than a tablet - most
notably, a built-in keyboard which could help the device appeal more to
business customers.
And the
fact that Microsoft is using the same Windows 8 operating system for
the Surface as for laptop and desktop computers could mean that
customers will find it easier to switch between different devices.
CEO Steve Ballmer was
on hand at a press conference in Los Angeles to announce the tablet, calling it part of a 'whole new family
of devices' the company is developing.
The 9.3mm-thick tablet, which uses the RT version of Windows, comes with a kickstand to hold it upright and keyboard that
is part of the device's cover. It weighs under 1.5 pounds.
In a possible nod to the device's chief rival, it will apparently be 0.1mm thinner than the latest iPad.
A slightly thicker version - still less than
14mm thick and under two pounds - will work on Microsoft's
upcoming Windows 8 Pro operating system.
Colourful: The Surface is expected to be available for purchase some time later this year
Visionary: Microsoft has high hopes that the Surface will allow it to break in to the lucrative tablet market
Adaptable: The device is designed to function both as a tablet and as a more traditional laptop
IPAD AND SURFACE SIDE-BY-SIDE
Weight:
Surface 676g iPad 650g
Thickness:
Surface 9.3mm iPad 9.4mm
Screen size:
Surface 10.6" iPad 9.7"
USB:
Surface yes iPad no
Hard drive:
Surface 32GB/64GB iPad 16GB/32GB/64GB
Battery life:
Surface unknown iPad around 6 hours
Price:
Surface unknown iPad from $499
Surface 676g iPad 650g
Thickness:
Surface 9.3mm iPad 9.4mm
Screen size:
Surface 10.6" iPad 9.7"
USB:
Surface yes iPad no
Hard drive:
Surface 32GB/64GB iPad 16GB/32GB/64GB
Battery life:
Surface unknown iPad around 6 hours
Price:
Surface unknown iPad from $499
Steven
Sinofsky, the president of Microsoft's Windows division, called the
device a 'tablet that's a great PC - a PC that's a great tablet.'
They will be available when Windows 8 ships later this year, according to a Microsoft statement.
No details on
pricing were mentioned, except that it would be 'comparable' with
current ARM tablets and Intel-powered Ultrabooks.
Microsoft has been
making software for tablets since 2002, when it shipped the Windows XP
Tablet PC Edition.
Many big PC makers produced tablets that ran the
software, but they were never big sellers. The tablets were based on PC
technology, and were heavy, with short battery lives.
Launching its own tablet potentially
throws Microsoft into direct competition with its closest hardware
partners such as Samsung and Hewlett-Packard.
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