The tablet boasts a thickness of only 9.3mm, weighing a mere 676g, with a special 3mm touch cover that can be hinged to create a touch keyboard which Microsoft boasts is ”significantly faster than with an on-screen keyboard,” sensing keystrokes as gestures. The screen size itself features a 16:9 widescreen 10.3” display. The casing of the Surface was created by the VaporMg process, which allows the exterior case to be as thin as .65mm.
The base tablet runs on Windows RT, and also features a built-in stand, twin 2x2 MIMO antennas for WiFi, an HDMI port, a microSD port and USB 2.0. The hard drive will come in two flavors, 32GB or 64GB.
Microsoft also announced a Pro edition of the Surface, which is slightly larger (13.5mm thick and 903g), but includes Windows 8, an Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor, a USB 3.0 port, and a choice of 64GB or 128GB of storage. The Pro edition also features a higher 1080p resolution.
The tablet’s announcement comes not long after Microsoft had revealed its SmartGlass technology for Windows 8, Xbox 360 and Windows Phone. While SmartGlass will support other tablets such as the iPad and Android tablet, it’s clear Microsoft is throwing its own hat in the ring to encourage gamers to pick up their tablet for use with SmartGlass.
