Surface: The Surprise Package from Microsoft

By Chilezie Unachukwu.

The much awaited package from Microsoft has been announced and, guess what, it’s a tablet! But one with a difference. This is Microsoft’s reply to both the Ultra-book and Tablet Market, and it comes as a surprise from the company and a very much welcomed competitor to Apple’s iPad which is the single most used tablet brand in the world. Though this is not the first product announced by Microsoft going by the name Surface. Back in CES 2011, Microsoft announced a product in collaboration with Samsung named Surface, which allows LCD Panels to see without cameras, and has multi-touch support of up to 20 fingers. Now to the present, the surface tablet – though not associated with the Surface LCD panel which had Windows 7 fully integrated into it – comes packed with the new Windows 8 RT. This is the tablet edition of the much awaited Windows 8 PC. There’s also the Windows Pro. version which comes with different specifications and, most notably, the brand of processor and the storage capacity. Checking out the specifications 10.6″, 16:9 Widescreen HD Display: The display is crisp, and so good for watching movies and musical videos, and viewing pictures. Keyboard/Cover: Microsoft came up with an innovative cover for Surface. It’s also a keyboard! The Touch Cover is a magnetic case with a Multitouch keyboard and Trackpad that can be easily clipped to the tablet. This makes typing so easy and comfortable on your tablet. Camera: Surface comes with two cameras, one in front, for video chatting and the like, and the other rear facing LifeCam angled at 22 degrees. The rear facing camera can be adjusted so it can capture from different angles. Microsoft wants you to ‘capture life at all sides’. The Tablet comes in different versions. The exact specifications for each version are listed below: The Windows 8 RT version comes with an NVIDIA-made ARM chip, it weighs 676 grams and is 9.3mm thick. The display is a 10.6-inch ClearType HD capacitive touchpanel. The device runs on a 31.5 Wh battery, supports microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, and a 2×2 MIMO antennae. It comes packaged with, of course, the Windows RT OS bundled softwares which include Office Home & Student 2013 RT. Also included in the package are a Touch cover, Type Cover, and a VaporMg case and stand. There are storage options of either 32GB or 64GB. While the Windows 8 Pro. version comes with an Intel Core i5 (Ivy Bridge) processor, weighs around 903 grams, is 13.5mm in thickness, and has the same screen as the Windows RT, the difference is that it’s Full HD (1080p). It also supports USB 3.0, microSDXC, Mini DisplayPort, and 2×2 MIMO antennae. It has the same set of accessories as it’s sibling plus a Pen with Palm block. And it has larger storage options of 64GB/128GB. The devices will be available during the Windows 8 launch (Fall 2012) and 3 months after the Windows 8 launch, respectively. It’s a worthy wait for all those who want a tablet that can double as a full-fledged PC, but we can’t tell for sure if the pricing will be right for the deal. Till the launch, we’ll see.

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This article was first published on 19th June 2012 and updated on June 22nd, 2012 at 5:50 am

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