- Microsoft Surface will use same Windows 8 operating system as PCs
- Comes with built-in stand and keyboard to replicate experience of laptop
- Company refuses to reveal price of tablet or confirm exact release date
By Daily Mail Reporter
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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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Slim: The Surface is - perhaps not coincidentally - 0.1mm thinner than its chief rival, the iPad
Innovative: But Microsoft has not yet announced how much the Surface will cost when it goes on sale
Each device comes with a kickstand to hold it upright and a keyboard that is part of the device's cover
Components: Microsoft's Panos Panay gives the audience an inside look at the tablet's built-in keyboard
Trendy: Microsoft appears to have learned something from rival Apple when it comes to presentation
Launching its own tablet potentially throws Microsoft into direct competition with its closest hardware partners such as Samsung and Hewlett-Packard.
Sales of tablets are expected to triple in the next two years, topping 180million a year in 2013, easily outpacing growth in traditional PCs. Apple has sold 67million iPads in two years since the device's launch.
Apple, which makes both hardware and software for greater control over the performance of the final product, has revolutionised mobile markets with its smooth, seamless phones and tablets.
Rival Google may experiment with a similar approach after buying phone maker Motorola this year.
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