Redmond jumps into the tablet fray

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Microsoft Introduces a Challenger to the iPad

By NICK WINGFIELD, NYT

Published: June 18, 2012

LOS ANGELES — In its most strategically significant push yet into the hardware business, Microsoft on Monday unveiled a tablet computer called Surface that is intended to challenge Apple’s iPad.

Microsoft's new tablet, Surface, will run a variation of Windows 8, a forthcoming version of the company's flagship operating system.

At a press event here, the company showed off a tablet that is about the same weight and thickness as an iPad, with a 10.6-inch screen. The device has a built-in “kickstand” that allows it to be propped up for watching movies, and a thin detachable cover that will serve double duty as a keyboard.

The Surface tablet runs a variation of Windows 8, a version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system that is due out in the fall. Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, said the product was part of a longstanding tradition at Microsoft to create hardware, like computer mice, that show off innovations in its software.

“We want to give Windows 8 its own companion hardware innovations,” Mr. Ballmer said.

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