What is it?

Windows 8 is going to be the biggest operating system announcement of 2012, and it is bound to go a long way after release. Developers, programmers and users alike are all anticipating the release of what Microsoft calls as its biggest, most functional and most powerful Windows operating system to date. Microsoft entered the mobile phone market with the release of the Windows Phone 7, which was updated to 7.5 soon after. The OS was well received, and fared quite well upon its release. However, it is touted that the release of Windows 8 will set the mobile market alight, and many were wondering why Microsoft hadn’t already entered the tablet market. Well, now it has. In a conference held just a week back, Microsoft announced the Surface, a Windows 8 tablet that comes in two different versions, one with Windows RT and the other with Windows 8.

The Microsoft Surface:

There are going to be two versions of the tablet, namely the Surface and the Surface Pro. The former will run the Windows RT on an ARM Cortex Processor, while the latter will run the Windows 8 Pro and will make use of an Intel CPU. The display would be a 10.6” widescreen HD display with a contrast ratio of 16:9. For the Surface Pro, the device features a Full HD Display. The devices will come encased in a molded magnesium casing which is going to house the components of the device, and provides a highly durable finish for the device.

There is a dedicated USB port on one side as well as a Micro SD slot. The weight of the device is around 1.5 pounds. There is a magnetic strip that will be present along the bottom which can be used to attach the Touch Cover of the Type Cover, as per the user’s requirements. Both the devices will make use of Microsoft’s ClearType HD display.

Release date and price:

Not much was revealed regarding the pricing or release date of the device, but I was revealed by Microsoft’s CEO that the Surface’s pricing would be comparable to a competent ARM Cortex tablet or an Intel Ultrabook Class PC. Hence, we can expect competent prices that might be a bit steep at launch. However, nothing can be said as of yet, because no release date was provided at the time of the launch too.