OK it has been confirmed. For those of you who read the story about Microsoft possibly releasing their own tablet . well it is going to happen and faster than we all thought! It was announced in LA at a special media event. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the new tablet pc and naming it the “Surface”. Not sure I am keen on the name but then again I probably wasn’t keen on iPad when it was first launched.
This is a historical event. Since it’s inception, Microsoft has almost always been a software house. Professionally dabbling in hardware with it’s mouse/keyboard products and of course the Xbox. However, although it was one of the companies that made the PC possible, Microsoft never made a PC of it’s own. That has all changed with new iPad killer, it has shown to the world.
As was touted by most notables in the blogosphere the tablet will be running Windows 8 and will run the full blown version, not a cut down or stripped down version just for tablet devices. This is great news as it will be running software favourites like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. However there will be 2 versions of the OS and 2 types of devices. 1) Windows RT operating system which is a version of Windows 8 that will be able to run on ARM processors. This tablet will be a smaller version of the Surface (9.3 mm thick, 1.5-pound) 2) A bigger version of the Surface tablet which will be (13.5 mm thick, 1.9 pounds) this version will be running Windows 8 Pro OS, which will be built around an Intel i5 processor and will be able to run software like 
Photoshop.
Some other specs for the RT version are 10.6-inch ClearType HD Display, Office Home & Student 2013 RT, Touch Cover, Type Cover, microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae, 31.5 watt-hour battery, Configurable for 32 GB, 64 GB and some other specs for the Pro version are 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD Display, microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae, Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block, 42 watt-hour battery, Configurable for 64 GB, 128 GB.
On paper these two tablets do stack up to be possible iPad crushers! Professionals will no longer have to take along a laptop to do a Power Point presentation they can just take along one of these hybrid tablets. Because basically that is what these two tablet pc’s are. Microsoft has made the case a physical, multitouch keyboard Smart Cover, which is quite frankly pure genius and must have the boffin’s at Apple scratching their heads and wondering why they didn’t do it for the latest iPad. This year (2012) is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in tablet pc history, I for one can’t wait to see what is coming next. No release date has been set for the Surface as yet. Below is the promotional video Microsoft released on YouTube.
Not sure if it will actually kill the iPad. However it will bring some much needed competition into the market place. Which can only be a good thing!