Microsoft announced its first home-grown tablet called surface on June 18, 2012. The surface was designed as a platform to showcase its upcoming Windows 8 OS, which is a huge step forward for Microsoft as it's the first time it will be embracing the ARM platform as well. There will be two distinct versions of Windows this time - Windows RT for ARM-powered devices will be launched some time in October followed by Windows 8, an upgrade to Windows 7 that will work on existing Intel and AMD-based systems. Today I'll be comparing the Surface to the Apple iPad, since that's going to be it's biggest competitor.
Display
Apple still reigns supreme here with the Retina Display on the new iPad. The surface has a 10.6-inch ClearType display with a HD-ready resolution and though Microsoft doesn't specify the resolution, it's not Full-HD. So, the iPad wins here.
The Surface does have a slightly larger display and it conforms to the 16:9 aspect ratio; so, watching movies should be better on it than on the iPad.
Processor
Microsoft has once again not specified which SoC will sit in the Surface, but we do know Nvidia is making it, so everything points to Tegra 3.
This packs in a quad-core CPU and 12-core graphics chip which does make it a lot more powerful on paper compared to the new iPad. However, it's yet to seen if Microsoft can actually exploit this to the fullest.
Connectivity
This is one area where the Surface wins hands-down. The tablet is about the same thickness as the iPad and yet packs in a full-sized USB port, microSD card slot and HD video-out. The iPad does support these features as well (except memory expansion), but you need to buy adapters for it and they aren't exactly cheap. Microsoft also has an upper hand when it comes to it Touch Cover and unlike Apple's Smart Cover that simply protects the screen. Touch Cover has as an embedded keyboard in it, so the tablet transforms into a notebook make it more comfortable to type on.
App Support
Apple has an edge here for the time being as it will be a while before the Windows Store is populated with all the popular apps. This shouldn't take long though as apps ported over to the Metro UI will work across Windows RT and Windows 8, giving developers an incentive to port their apps quicker.
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