Microsoft is ready to compete with Apple iPads in tablet market with new Microsoft Surface tablet devices that will run versions of forthcoming touch-friendly Windows 8 operating system. Surface Tablet Review

Technology News / NationalTurk – Microsoft launched its Surface tablet computers this week. A statement from Microsoft ranks as the tech giant fought to regain ground lost to Apple’s iPad in tablet wars.

The Surface brand was originally used for a tabletop touchscreen computer Microsoft launched in 2007. But Apple got the upper hand in tablet market with iPad, while Samsung tried to hold on in the market with galaxy tablets. Now the tech giant is back but Microsoft left a lot of unanswered questions after following Apple into the tablet hardware business Monday with its new Windows 8-based Surface PCs/tablets.

The software maker introduced the new family of surface tablet devices during an launching event in Los Angeles, USA.

Microsoft states the new Microsft Surface tablets are meant as companion hardware for Windows 8, the most dramatic overhaul of the Operation System since Windows 95. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in the event: “We wanted to give Windows 8 its own companion hardware innovation.” Windows 8 is expected to be available in the fall of 2012.

Microsoft Surface Tablet : Early Impressions Are Positive

Looking at the spec sheet, the new devices sound promising and early impressions are generally positive. The new Microsoft surface tablets will come with a 10.6-inch display, a kickstand for tabletop viewing, and a super-thin keyboard case that attaches to the device with magnets.

Microsoft Surface tablet will come in two flavors: Surface with Windows RT and Surface Pro with Windows 8 Pro. Windows RT is the version of Windows 8 designed for ARM processors; it includes the new touch-friendly Metro-style interface, as well as a limited version of the traditional Windows desktop for running Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office.

Surface tablets with Windows RT will include a micros slot, USB 2.0, and a Micro HD port. The devices will weigh about 1.5 pounds and be about 0.36-inches thick. Microsoft did not specify which processor the Windows RT device would have, but did state the tablets will come with your choice of 32GB or 64GB of storage.

Microsoft Surface tablet with Metro interfaceThe Surface Pro tablets will be Intel-based with access to the Metro UI as well as to the fully functional Windows desktop and will come in 64GB and 128GB versions. The tablet will have a microSDXC card slot, USB 3.0, and Mini Display Port. The Surface Pro will weigh just under two pounds and be about half-an-inch thick.

That’s what we do know about Surface Tablet by Microsoft, but there are also a few interesting questions left to answer.

How Much Will Microsoft Surface Tablet Cost?

The company did not reveal pricing or release dates but at the event Sinofsky revealed it would be “priced like comparable tablets.” Milanesi said she expected the Surface to cost less than $699 (£446) in the US and be launched before the all-important Christmas selling season. Another Microsoft vs Apple tablet battle is on

Microsoft was short on details when it came to pricing the new Surface tablets. The company said the Windows RT version of Surface would cost about the same as comparable slates. Surface Pro, meanwhile, would be priced similar to comparable competitive Ultrabook PCs.

Let’s assume that comparable tablets for the Windows RT version mean the market leader, Apple’s iPad. So the entry-level Surface models should cost about $600 for the 32GB version and $700 for the 64GB model.

How much Surface Pro devices will cost is another issue entirely since Microsoft wants to compete with Ultrabook PCs. When Intel introduced the new class of portable laptops in spring 2011, they were supposed to be priced under $1,000. But that dream is only now becoming a reality with second-generation Ultrabooks.

Having announced last week that the firm was set to make a key announcement, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, unveiled two new tablet PCs at a closely guarded press event in Los Angeles.

He said the new devices – called Surface – were part of a “whole new family of devices” the company is developing. The devices will run versions of Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 8 operating system, a system the company hopes will allow it to make up ground in mobile computing lost to Apple and Google’s Android.

“We want to give Windows 8 its own companion hardware innovations,” Ballmer said.

Analysts gave the as yet unpriced devices a cautious welcome. “From a design perspective it looks great,” said Carolina Milanesi at Gartner.

She said the device looked like a serious competitor to Apple’s best-selling iPad but success would depend on price and the apps available for the devices.

Magnesium chassis, vapour deposition coating, cutaway edges, ClearType HD display; the design credentials and the specs for Microsoft’s new Windows RT tablet are impressive and in the flesh this is a delightful piece of hardware that looks good – and is practical.

Microsoft Surface Tablet is thin, it’s light, it’s comfortable to hold, it runs Windows RT as excellently as one should expect, it makes you want to touch it but it’s also designed so you can snap the magnetically attached cover into place – in no way similar to any competitor idea. stone to Apple..

The 9.3mm thick Surface tablet device has a magnesium case, features a 10.6-inch HD widescreen display, an integrated kickstand and weighs less than a kilo (1.5lbs). The device comes with a detachable keyboard and trackpad that attach magnetically to the tablet.

Apple domination in tablet market is threatened

Apple has so far seen off most of its competitors in the tablet computers market including Blackberry maker Research in Motion and Hewlett Packard. Amazon’s Kindle has challenged Apple’s dominance but with a far less versatile and powerful machine. In 2011 Apple sold over 40 million iPads, out of worldwide tablet sales of 60 million.

At the presentation, Ballmer and Steven Sinofsky, the head of Microsoft’s Windows division, stressed Surface’s computing power and provess.

There is always a but , you won’t be able to get the Surface tablet until Windows 8 ships – and we can’t get its big brother, the Intel Core i5 Surface for Windows 8 Pro, for another three months after that.

Design of Microsoft Surface Tablet is good baby Surface Tablet vs iPad

The design of the Surface Tablet for Windows RT (and the similar Surface for Windows 8 Pro that we didn’t see in as much detail) is understated.

The front is sleek black glass, precision bonded to the magnesium alloy chassis (“we squeezed all the air out,” as Microsoft hardware expert Stevie Battiche told TechRadar), with only a Windows logo visible – the word Microsoft doesn’t show up on the case anywhere.
Turn it on and the 10.6″ screen fills most of the Surface’s front display, but the four edges have half an inch of bezel so you can hold it comfortably.

The Windows logo isn’t just for show there; it’s a touch button that gives you the Start screen when you tap on it, plus the whole bezel is touch-aware so you can swipe across it to bring up the App bar or the switching pane (spending on which way round it is).

The Surface is light and comfortable to hold; the edges are sloped to give you a comfortable grip (although the edge with the cover connector isn’t quite as ergonomic until you connect the cover).

The magnesium alloy chassis is covered with a soft coating that feels durable and expensive (that’s the vapour deposition bit; it’s chemically bonded rather than just painted on).

Microsoft : We will put the child into Apple’s belly with Surface tablet Surface tablet vs Apple ipad

Sinofsky called the Microsoft Surface Tablet device a “tablet that’s a great PC – a PC that’s a great tablet”.

Milanesi added the Surface Tablet might appeal to business users already used to Microsoft software, an area where Apple has been making inroads with iPads and iPhones. “It is certainly a very competitive product in that space,” she mentioned.

The tech firm the Microsoft has a spotty record in launching its own hardware products and has generally left the making of hardware to partners such as Dell or Hewlett Packard. While Microsoft’s Xbox video gaming system is a world leader, its iPod rival Zune and Kin telephones proved disasters for the Tech giants from the USA.

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