For years, Microsoft was the bully on the playground, picking on the little kids. Then, Apple, the geeky kid, hunkered under the jungle gym and built an arsenal of weapons: iPhone, iMac, iPod, iPad. It looked like Microsoft’s bullying days were over. With the Microsoft Surface, though, this bully is trying new tactics: finesse, subtlety, and class. The techno-playground is about to get a lot more interesting.
With Windows 8 just around the corner, Microsoft needed to find a tablet computer that could effectively utilize the leaps and bounds made by a brand new operating system. Their solution: build one themselves. Rumors whispered from the geeky horizons suggest that this tablet computer may represent the proverbial “toilet dunk” for brainiac Apple’s iPad.
What Can The Surface Do?
According to the spec sheet at www.microsoft.com/surface, Surface has all the standard equipment: front and rear cameras, an SD slot for data storage, a full-sized USB port, and a “Clear Type” screen that comes short of Apple’s Retina pixel density but still looks incredible to the naked eye.
Microsoft’s goal with the Surface tablet seems to be designed to pull tablet computing to the front of the stage. With a special antenna that is harder to block with physical obstructions, this tablet may be the best WiFi receiver yet. The super-thin design is only a little heavier than the iPad, so Microsoft intends for it to be used on the go. The Surface also features a unique groove surrounding the perimeter of the device that may keep this tablet cooler than its competitors.
Will it Kill the iPad?
The short answer is “maybe.” Microsoft’s Surface is going to feature the full Windows OS, so programs like PowerPoint, Excel, and even Word are within easy reach. The death blow, though, is the ultra-thin magnetic cover. Fold it off the surface, and the cover acts as a touch-sensitive, full-sized keyboard and trackpad. Tablet computing just got serious. Apple, for the first time in a long time, is asking, “Why didn’t we think of that?”
Then again, it is Microsoft:
