Microsoft announced its first tablet in a media event held in Los Angeles on Monday. The software giant’s own branded hardware arouses much attention from the public, with people wondering whether it could be the Apple iPad killer.
Two versions of Windows tablets were unveiled at the Monday’s press event, Pro Surface and RT Surface. Claiming to have “significant advances in industrial design and attention to detail,” it is expected to be a major player in the tablet market. Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer and Windows president Steven Sinofsky took the stage at Milk Studios to introduce the tablets.
The new tablets come with a 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD display. Pro Surface features Windows 8 Pro operating system with an Intel processor and will be available in 64GB or 128GB. It weighs 903 grams and is 13.5 millimeter thick. RT Surface, on the other hand, will have an ARM processor and Windows RT operating system, a version of Windows 8 specialized for ARM devices. It is only 9.3 millimeter thin and weighs 676 grams. It will be available in 32GB and 64GB models.
One of the most interesting designs of the tablets is that their 3-millimeter smart cover that can also serve as a keyboard. The keyboard is tactile multi-touch and uses a stylus that can read at 600 dots per inch. Since the touch cover can sense keystrokes as gestures, it helps you type substantially faster than when on an on-screen keyboard. With the unique pressure-sensitive technology, the touch keyboard provides a more advanced human-computer interaction. On the other hand, through a built-in magnetic conductor, the keyboard easily clicks into Surface forming a protective cover.
Now, could this be the iPad killer? We will find out when it launches this fall.
