On 18^th June, software giant Microsoft made a major announcement introducing its new tablet offering – known as Surface. The new device will have a 10.6 inch screen and run on Microsoft’s most recent operating system, Windows 8.

Surface will also come with a ‘Touch Cover’, a combination of a protective cover and a keyboard – a feature which seems designed to provide an edge over Apple’s renowned tablet, the iPad, as many users find extensive typing difficult on this device.

However, critics have suggested that although Surface has impressive features, it is unlikely to make the same impact as the iPad. This is an opinion which stems from Surface’s inferior display and likely high price – even though Microsoft has hinted at a ‘competitive’ price, no figures have been released, sparking suspicion that the price will not be competitive enough to detract attention from Apple’s offering, or alternative options like a notebook or cheaper Android tablet.

Ezra Gottheil, of Technology Business Research, asserted, “[The Surface] will have some legs in the enterprise – it will be a lot easier of a sell there with compatibility through Office, it’s probably more manageable, and it comes from a vendor that IT is more comfortable with. But it won’t be a major impact on the iPad … If the Surface is going head-to-head with the iPad, why not just buy an iPad?”

Only time will tell how consumers respond to Microsoft’s invention, but with the public increasingly turning to mobile devices for web browsing, any technology companies hoping to maintain a positive reputation in the market will need to focus on offering a range of products with a competitive edge.

Tags: apple, Ezra Gottheil, iPad, Microsoft Surface, tablet computers, Technology Business Research, Windows 8

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 20th, 2012 at 11:04 am and is filed under Techno talk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.