Microsoft launches Surface to rival iPad
Source: Agencies |
June 20, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MICROSOFT unveiled a new tablet computer, Surface, that attempts to take advantage of one of the few criticisms of Apple's iPad - that it is better for consuming content than creating it.
The software maker said on Monday that its device will attach to a removable rubberized keyboard that also acts like a book cover. CEO Steve Ballmer said Surface will be an entertainment device "without compromising the productivity that PCs are uniquely known for."
Microsoft Corp's broadside against the iPad is a dramatic step to ensure that its Windows software plays a major role in the increasingly important mobile computing market.
"They are saying it's a different world now and are trying to put the sexy back into the Microsoft brand," Gartner Inc analyst Carolina Milanesi said.
Microsoft is linking the Surface's debut with the release of its much-anticipated Windows 8 operating system, which has been designed with tablets in mind. The company hasn't specified when Windows 8 will hit the market, but most analysts expect the software to come out in September or October.
One version of the Surface, which won't go on sale until sometime in the fall, is 9.3-millimeter thick and works on the Windows RT operating system which was made for tablets that run on low-power chips designed by British chipmaker ARM Holdings Plc.
It comes with a 0.7mm thick kickstand to hold it upright and a 3mm thick touch keyboard cover that snaps on using magnets. The device weighs under 680 grams.
The size is similar to the latest iPad, which is 9.4mm thick and weighs 590 grams.
Surface has a screen that measures 10.6 inches diagonally, compared to 9.7 inches for the iPad, but it comes in the 16:9 aspect ratio, which is suited to watching video in the widescreen format. The iPad's screen size ratio is 4:3.
Microsoft said the Surface's price will be the same as the iPad at US$499 to US$829, depending on the model.
A slightly thicker version - still less than 14mm thick and under 910 grams - will work on Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 Pro operating system and cost as much as an Ultrabook, the company said. The pro version comes with a stylus that allows users to make handwritten notes on documents such as PDF files. It will be released about three months later.
Top 5 manufacturers of tablet computers in 2011
Apple Inc - maker of the iPad, 40.5 million shipped worldwide, 62 percent share;
Samsung Electronics Co - maker of Galaxy line, 6.1 million, 9 percent;
Amazon.com Inc - maker of Kindle Fire, 3.9 million, 6 percent;
Barnes & Noble - maker of Nook products, 3.3 million, 5 percent;
AsusTek Computer Inc - maker of Transformer line, 2.1 million, 3 percent;
Others - 9.4 million, 14 percent.
Source: IHS iSuppli
The software maker said on Monday that its device will attach to a removable rubberized keyboard that also acts like a book cover. CEO Steve Ballmer said Surface will be an entertainment device "without compromising the productivity that PCs are uniquely known for."
Microsoft Corp's broadside against the iPad is a dramatic step to ensure that its Windows software plays a major role in the increasingly important mobile computing market.
"They are saying it's a different world now and are trying to put the sexy back into the Microsoft brand," Gartner Inc analyst Carolina Milanesi said.
Microsoft is linking the Surface's debut with the release of its much-anticipated Windows 8 operating system, which has been designed with tablets in mind. The company hasn't specified when Windows 8 will hit the market, but most analysts expect the software to come out in September or October.
One version of the Surface, which won't go on sale until sometime in the fall, is 9.3-millimeter thick and works on the Windows RT operating system which was made for tablets that run on low-power chips designed by British chipmaker ARM Holdings Plc.
It comes with a 0.7mm thick kickstand to hold it upright and a 3mm thick touch keyboard cover that snaps on using magnets. The device weighs under 680 grams.
The size is similar to the latest iPad, which is 9.4mm thick and weighs 590 grams.
Surface has a screen that measures 10.6 inches diagonally, compared to 9.7 inches for the iPad, but it comes in the 16:9 aspect ratio, which is suited to watching video in the widescreen format. The iPad's screen size ratio is 4:3.
Microsoft said the Surface's price will be the same as the iPad at US$499 to US$829, depending on the model.
A slightly thicker version - still less than 14mm thick and under 910 grams - will work on Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 Pro operating system and cost as much as an Ultrabook, the company said. The pro version comes with a stylus that allows users to make handwritten notes on documents such as PDF files. It will be released about three months later.
Top 5 manufacturers of tablet computers in 2011
Apple Inc - maker of the iPad, 40.5 million shipped worldwide, 62 percent share;
Samsung Electronics Co - maker of Galaxy line, 6.1 million, 9 percent;
Amazon.com Inc - maker of Kindle Fire, 3.9 million, 6 percent;
Barnes & Noble - maker of Nook products, 3.3 million, 5 percent;
AsusTek Computer Inc - maker of Transformer line, 2.1 million, 3 percent;
Others - 9.4 million, 14 percent.
Source: IHS iSuppli
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