Microsoft Launches Surface Tablet With Keyboard Touch Cover Kickstand

Microsoft unveiled its Surface Tablet at an event in Los Angeles today. As Microsoft attempted to demonstrate, it follows a long line of Microsoft hardware achievements including the Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft Keyboard, and more recently the XBox (we must have missed the Zune, Courier, and Kin slides). The Surface has some notable features including a full-sized USB port, kickstand, and a 9.3-mm thickness. It runs on an ARM processor, and it is housed in a magnesium alloy case.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo&feature=player_embedded]

Probably the biggest feature is its 3 mm thick Touch Cover. Added to the iPad 2-ish 9.3-mm thickness, you get a “full package” of just 12.3-mm total. The ability to touch type on a 3 mm thick piece of plastic compared to, say, an 8 mm thick UltraThin Logitech iPad keyboard case, for instance, will be a big determining factor for this thing to take off.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jozTK-MqEXQ&start=840]

While it would not be a Microsoft demo without a few crashes, Microsoft Vice President Steven Sinofsky was eventually able to launch apps like MS Office, Adobe Lightroom, and Netflix on a backup demo model. The Surface will come in 32GB and 64GB ARM RT varieties and separately with Intel processors.

Forrester’s Sarah Rotman Epps noted:

Should the iPad be worried?

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5mac/status/214859778487361536]

[tweet https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/214870739029983232]

[tweet https://twitter.com/harrymccracken/status/214874601493233664]

[tweet https://twitter.com/wilshipley/status/214874255727398912]

[tweet https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/214872645290823681]

[tweet https://twitter.com/harrymccracken/status/214873552963375107]

[tweet https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/214872848802660352]

[tweet https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/214869452435619840]

[tweet https://twitter.com/gruber/status/214870294303752192]

[tweet https://twitter.com/wilshipley/status/214874169710608384]

[tweet https://twitter.com/wilshipley/status/214872370396139520]