Microsoft launches tablet in bid to rival iPad

Microsoft has launched new tablet device Surface, as it aims to take on the Apple iPad.

Surface

Surface, which was designed and developed in-house at Microsoft, boasts new developments including a casing made using Microsoft’s VaporMg materials process, and a ‘Touch Cover’.

VaporMg, says Microsoft, is a process to mold metal and deposit particles to create a finish ‘akin to a luxury watch’. This VaporMg process has also been used to create a built-in kickstand, that supports the Surface tablet.

The Surface also features the 3mm ‘Touch Cover’. This connects to the Surface with a built-in magnetic connector and acts as a protective cover. The cover also allows users to type and, says Microsoft, uses pressure-sensitive technology to sense keystrokes as gestures, letting the user type faster than with an on-screen keyboard.

Two models of Surface will be available, one using Microsoft’s recently developed Windows 8 operating system and the other using Windows RT.

The Windows 8 model weighs 676g and is 9.3mm wide, while the Windows 8 model is 903g and 13.5mm. Both have 10.6-inch-wide screens.

Microsoft has not yet announced how much the Surface will cost when it launches later this year.

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  • Ben Bartlett November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    I just caught myself asking someone if they had seen the new ‘windows ipad’.

    Whoops, sorry Microsoft.

  • Rich Brassett November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    At least it will have a usb port to charge my iphone

  • Chris radcliffe November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    I guess the Gates are now wide open now the apple has fallen from the tree.

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