Microsoft Unveils its iPad Rival
Microsoft Unveils its iPad Rival
Real estate professionals are increasingly relying on tablets while on-the-go for their jobs. Microsoft hopes to bite into Apple’s iPad tablet market share with its latest introduction of a Windows-powered tablet, called Surface, unveiled Monday.
Jumping more into the mobile computing arena, Microsoft’s tablet is about the same weight and thickness as the iPad and features a 10.6-inch screen. The device also has a thin detachable cover, known as Touch Cover, that can turn into a keyboard (Microsoft has not yet disclosed whether that will be sold separately or come with the device).
The New York Times notes that Microsoft seems to be “positioning its tablet as a more business-friendly alternative to the iPad, one that is better suited to productivity tasks that require faster typing.”
The Windows 8 Pro Surface tablet will also support a pen with digital ink for documents and filling in forms.
The device runs a variation of Windows 8, Microsoft’s operating system due out in the fall.
Microsoft’s debut of its own tablet comes at a time when the company has seen Apple’s iPad already biting into the sales of its lower-end Window laptops.
Versions of Surface will begin to debut in the fall. Microsoft has not yet disclosed pricing for the device but company officials said it will be competitive with rival devices or Intel Ultrabook-class PCs.
Source: “Microsoft Unveils Surface Tablet Computer, Taking on iPad,” Bloomberg (June 19, 2012) and “Microsoft Introduces a Challenger to the iPad,” The New York Times (June 19, 2012)
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