After years of watching and waiting, Microsoft has entered the tablet wars with the Surface tablets -- a pair of iPad-bothering 10.6-inch slates that are powered by Windows 8.
Surface RT and Surface Pro
The Surface tablets come in two versions, both of which have 10.6-inch displays and built-in kickstands. There's the Surface RT, which measures 9.3mm thick, weighs 676g, has microSD and USB ports stuck on its side and comes in 32GB or 64GB flavours.
Running Windows 8 RT, the Surface RT won't offer the full Windows desktop -- instead limiting itself to the tile-based Metro interface seen on Windows Phone devices -- but you do get a version of Microsoft Office at no extra charge.
The Surface Pro, meanwhile, is more like a touchscreen ultrabook, and will launch approximately 90 days later. This more serious bit of kit rides to battle with an Intel Ivy Bridge quad-core Core i5 CPU, a thicker 13.5mm frame, and either 64GB or 128GB of storage.
Powered by the full Windows 8 operating system (which means access to the Windows desktop), expect this beefier slate to be considerably more expensive.
Touch Cover
Microsoft has also crafted a cover for the Surface, which features a touch-sensitive keyboard, working with the built-in kickstand to transform the Surface into an impromptu laptop. This attaches magnetically like the iPad's smart cover, and is just 3mm thick. There's also a second 5mm-thick version, which features both trackpad and keyboard.
Set to be one nifty accessory, the Touch Cover powers down when it's folded against the tablet. Here's hoping it makes typing a good deal faster.
Price and release date
Microsoft's being cagey regarding these specifics. There's no word on cost, but Microsoft said its new toys would be "competitively priced", with the RT version sporting a price tag comparable to rival ARM tablets, and the Pro version comparable to ultrabook laptops.
In other words, expect to pay about £400 for the lighter, RT model, and somewhere in the region of £800 for the heavyweight Pro option. Personally I think it's vital that the Surface RT is cheaper than the most affordable iPad -- £399 -- otherwise it will really struggle.
The Surface will be in direct competition with Windows 8 devices from manufacturers such as Asus and Samsung, which could damage its odds of success. Microsoft hasn't given a release date, but I'd expect to see the Surface hitting shelves alongside Windows 8 -- in other words, later this year.
Would you take a chance on a Windows 8 tablet? Tell me in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 13
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Nick Kenworthy 19 June, 2012 07:44
Is it just me or do others feel always disappointed by the MS hype. They always seem to offer too little too late. Firstly the marketing guys should be shot. What kind of name is that for a product. Doesnt inspire me to go out and shout about "my Surface". Secondly everyone is over the moon about the touch sensitive case. Its called a keyboard and they already have a device like that, its called a laptop. This looks very much like a windows version of the EEE transformer which is considerably cheaper. I think I will wait a while and see what else comes out of the wood work. Dont get me wrong I would love a portable tablet that works the office package but I havent been inticed yet by anything very sexy.
anonymous 19 June, 2012 08:15
It is very fashionable to criticise everything that Microsoft ever do so I'm not expecting much positivity surrounding this product despite it looking very positive.
Microsoft have done exactly what they needed to do. An RT affordable media consumption/light productivity tablet and a high powered, premium ultrabook rival. In fact, yesterday in the Microsoft tablet article on here I said exactly this, in detail.
I think £400 would be a bit too much, but it is iPad rivaling, though personally I wouldn't be looking at anything higher than £350, but that's my budget, and I don't see the point in paying laptop money for a tablet. It's certainly comparable to equivalent Android tablets, and the Asus models certainly are not cheaper, the EEE Transformer is £500 for the base model, and the lower spec Transformer Pad starts at £400.
Either way, £400 is not comfirmed, and being as yesterday CNet were suggesting that the tablet would be a Kindle Fire rival, and they couldn't really have been more wrong, I'll take that with a pinch of salt. Microsoft should be able to subsidise these and aim to make money by drawing people into the XBox, Windows Phone, and Windows 8 PC ecosystem.
With the XBox microsoft have shown that they do know how to dominate a competitive, consumer market. I doubt that this tablet or range of tablets will ever dominate the market, but I doubt that if anything changes then we won't see any one model dominate, the iPad dominated because it was the only real option for so long, but that should be about to change.
Now, let's see what Google have in store for us with their Nexus tablet.
anonymous 19 June, 2012 09:04
The price is incrediable. I just dont see this selling like cakes. But they will have a crack with it. Icore 5? Thats what must push the price up.
roblightbody 19 June, 2012 09:11
I've never been able to justify the cost of a tablet to myself, because it does less than a laptop at the same price, so seems like a luxury toy which I can't afford. However, if I don't need to buy a laptop at all (and the Pro version of this sounds like that is possible) and if this costs less than a tablet + a laptop, then I'm interested. It could be my only computer, and I love the thought of that.
anonymous 19 June, 2012 09:37
A bloody Trackpad for a tablet!! - Seriously, so you telling me i gonna see a mouse pointer on my tablet right Microsoft?
anonymous 19 June, 2012 09:41
HP found to its cost that you can't compete with the market leader at the same price point, regardless of what you have to offer.Yes this looks like a good proposition but if you want to take market share from the company that defined the market, you have to have something to offer - such as a less expensive product. Don't forget Apple can offer the 'whole experience' - mobile phone, mp3 player, laptop and tablet - and this induces brand loyalty!
Microsoft, and others, have a long way to go to break into this loop.
anonymous 19 June, 2012 10:40
Roblightbody, that's why I'm personally waiting for a nexus tablet. I don't really see the point in a 9in/10in tablet costing £400+, no matter how they're marketed, the current tablets on the market are nothing more than consumption devices, social media, web browsing, emails, photos, videos, pdf/Word/PowerPoint/Excel reading and light editing/annotations. They are not suitable for serious productivity, this is where Microsoft can find their market and dominate, not in the general consumer area, but for professionals who need something light and portable for productivity on the road.
The biggest problem for high power full Windows 8 tablets is going to be Ultrabooks. This is why hybrids and dual screen machines are the way forwards in that area.
But really, you can't compete with Apple at similar prices? Samsung managed it pretty well. You have to offer something different, be it aesthetics, functionality, usability, screen size, dimensions, whatever. But Samsung have proven that Apple's dominance can be toppled with the right product.
Similarly, Microsoft, with the Xbox 360 have proved that they do know how to dominate a market previously dominated by well established brands, and create brand loyalty.
As I said earlier, the Microsoft ecosystem is massively strong (maybe because we're all so used to it and have been in it since before this ecosystem buzz word popped up we don't really think about how linked into Microsoft's ecosystem we are). XBox, Hotmail, Exchange, Windows (7/8), Windows Phone 7.5, and not forgetting how tightly linked Facebook and Microsoft are becoming, and the distance between Facebook and Apple and Facebook and Google/Android.
Microsoft need to market the ecosystem and get people to realise how a Windows tablet could benefit them. Personally, if I were in the market for a tablet and had a budget of around £400, I would more than likely get a Windows tablet. If I didn't already have an Android phone I would more than likely buy a Windows Phone. My next console will be another XBox. All my work is done on Office. Hotmail was my main email server for over a decade.
Personally I think that Microsoft's ecosystem is the best there is and will only improve once they offer a stronger movie catalogue. But the benefit of Windows is that it is not closed, you can run iTunes, Chrome and Google services, Netflix, Lovefilm, Kindle, etc. It's versatile.
The thing stopping me from going for a Windows Tablet though is that a) the price is too high, I won't spend more than £300 at most, which in my opinion is the most a tablet is worth if you have a decent portable laptop, and b) I wouldn't buy a first effort machine, I'll wait a few years and see how things develop.
anonymous 19 June, 2012 11:16
It looks like Amazon instant is available on Xbox now in the US, if Microsoft get that available for their tablets then that will go a long way to establishing them in this market. With the amount of compatible services, Microsoft don't even need their own media streaming service/store really, so that's one point against those saying they'll struggle due to Apple's ecosystem.
Android for phones, Windows for tablets and PCs/laptops, Microsoft for gaming.
Sounds good to me.
anonymous 19 June, 2012 12:45
I have long been a fan of the iPad and planned to buy an iPad 3 aka new iPad but after seeing this.... I will wait. Looks very very good and the first real competitor to the iPad. I have been looking at the new phone software and this metro stuff and I actually think its quite good. They've got a long way to go from the thoughts people get when thinking about Microsoft but they're doing well. And to me apple have made some bad desicions recently like the fact that iOS 6 is so limited on older devices - that really annoyed me. Tired of apple's lack of innovation in recent years (apart from new MacBook, that's good) this is going to do well if the final product is as good as they demoed yesterday...
roblightbody 19 June, 2012 15:26
Also, Microsoft's totally dominant position in the Enterprise, combined with this new device, could be VERY interesting. Many companies want to introduce tablets for their sales teams, management etc., and are not finding it easy to incorporate Apple and Android devices into their Microsoft-dependent office.
anonymous 19 June, 2012 16:10
can I port Linux to it? If so I might be interested in the powerful processor in a touch-screen device. Thus far I am not impressed with Windows phone 7 (unresponsive on the Nokia hardware made for it), am often confused by the UI changes made in Windows 7 and have little interest in Windows 8. If it's hard flashed in ROM I wouldn't waste my money. I imagine we'll see other i5 tablets this year...
Mark Anderson 19 June, 2012 18:15
This is interesting. RT is aimed at consumers, Pro at businesses.
Can't wait to try these out.
anonymous 13 November, 2012 16:39
Great. Can't wait for it. Gtfo iPad. Hello SURFACE!