Beneath the Surface 2.0

"We believe that any intersection between human and machine can
be made better when hardware and software are considered together."

Well, I for one never believed Steve Ballmer would ever say that. I guess Apple's success changed this belief of his! And so, joining the tablet race, Microsoft unveiled the Surface 2.0 tablet computer at their 'mystery' event at Los Angeles earlier today.


According to Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky there will be two versions of Surface, one with Intel's ivy Bridge processors and the full fledged Windows 8 Pro OS while the other one will be a ARM based version running Windows RT.

The Windows RT version is just 9.3mm thin and weighs 1.5lbs. It will ship in 32GB or 64GB versions

The Intel-based Surface tablet will run Windows 8 Pro, with a thickness of 13.5mm, a weight of 1.9lb, and USB 3.0 support. It will ship with either 64GB or 128GB storage. The Intel version will include additional digital ink support through a pen that magnetizes to the body of the tablet.

But the differences end here. Both versions have a very sturdy looking kickstand which folds out from behind the screen.



According to Microsoft, Surface will be the first Device with a vapor-deposited (PVD) magnesium case. Both have a 10.6-inch ClearType display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 which is a bit disappointing considering Apple's WOW's at the WWDC last week.

Microsoft was much enthusiastic about the keyboard it will be selling. it is a multitouch keyboard with a trackpad. The keyboards are built into the covers(held by a magnet) which come in different colours namely black, white, pink, red and blue.

Microsoft wasn't quite forthcoming about the prices but one can guess they'll be priced to compete.

The Arm based version will launch along with Windows 8 while the Intel one will be out three months after Windows 8 is launched.

Did I mention that the Surface ad is really awesome? It is! You HAVE to see this...