A head-to-head comparison of the Surface display with competing tablets has found Microsoft's tablet beats out similarly equipped screens, but can't take down the Retina display on Apple's 9.7-inch iPad.
Microsoft reportedly plans to take on Apple's new iPad mini with its own smaller 7-inch tablet designed primarily for playing games.
After Windows 8 debuted on Thursday, Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky offered his view of the computing landscape, and said PCs represent a great value when compared to "recreational tablets," alluding to Apple's new iPad mini.
Asked by analysts to comment on the launch of Microsoft's Surface, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook noted that reviews of the product have described it as "compromised" and "confusing."
Initial takes on Microsoft's new Surface tablet find the hardware could be a competent laptop replacement, but it's held back by the Windows RT software which can't compete with Apple's iOS ecosystem.
Sales of Windows PCs plunged ahead of the forthcoming release of Windows 8, but Microsoft saw strong pre-sales for its next-generation operating system ahead of its Oct. 26 launch.
A display expert on Thursday compared the technology powering Microsoft's upcoming Surface RT with the iPad 2 and third-generation iPad's displays, seemingly debunking previous claims made by Microsoft that claimed its new tablet would be "sharper" than competing Apple products.
Even though Microsoft's new Surface has a lower resolution screen than the Retina display on the new iPad, one Microsoft engineer has argued that the Surface offers superior picture quality because of "ClearType" display technology.
Leaked prices for Microsoft Surface reveal the tablet will not undercut Apple's iPad, as the entry-level 32-gigabyte model will cost $499.
Microsoft on Monday will kick off an advertising blitz for its Surface tablet, the software company's first-ever foray into the computer hardware making business, with a commercial set to air during ESPN's Monday Night Football.
Microsoft has begun promoting its forthcoming Surface touchscreen tablets with an alternative, graffiti-style marketing campaign just a block away from an Apple Store in Chicago.
With OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion set to arrive this month, Apple's latest operating system will become available at least two months earlier than Microsoft's competing Windows 8.
Google's new Nexus 7 tablet will increase competition in the tablet market and threaten Amazon's Kindle Fire and Microsoft Surface, but isn't expected to have an effect on sales of Apple's iPad.
In order to compete with Apple's iPad, Microsoft may have to price its Surface tablet models so low that it will alienate its longstanding PC partners, according to a new analysis.
Some within the PC industry are experiencing a "sense of betrayal" over the secrecy behind Microsoft's recently-unveiled Surface tablet, which will compete directly with Windows licensees, a new report claims.
Microsoft's new ARM-based Surface tablet will likely need to undercut the price of Apple's iPad in order to have a fair chance in the marketplace, analysts believe.
On the heels of the unveiling of Microsoft's Surface tablet, CEO Steve Ballmer has revealed that his company gave PC partners a heads up that it was going to begin producing its own tablet hardware.
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AppleInsider Staff
Katie Marsal
Mikey Campbell
Daniel Eran Dilger
Slash Lane
Neil Hughes
Josh Ong
