theweekmagazine:

Microsoft is finally building their own tablet. The tablet — dubbed Surface — will come in two versions, both equipped with a kickstand, keyboard, and stylus. Here’s what the tech world is saying:

• This is a big gamble for Microsoft
  Microsoft “rarely makes its own hardware,” says John Hermann and Matt Buchanan at BuzzFeed, usually leaving the actual computer building to partners like Dell, Hewlett-Packard, or Lenovo. And when Microsoft has actually made machinery itself, it has a pretty “spotty record,” says Dominic Rushe at Britain’s Guardian. Sure, “Microsoft’s Xbox video gaming system is a world leader,” but “its iPod rival Zune and Kin telephones proved disasters.”
• The keyboard cover is revolutionary…
  The Surface works like any touchscreen tablet — but with a twist. The tablet comes standard with a kickstand and magnetic cover that snaps on like the iPad’s, but Microsoft’s version does Apple one better: The Surface cover doubles as an extremely thin keyboard and gesture-based touchpad. “This is a brilliant move on Microsoft’s part,” says Gizmodo’s Biddle, “and something that instantly makes Surface one of the most exciting devices we’ve eyed in some time.” Microsoft claims that typing on the tactile cover is twice as efficient as typing on a touchscreen.

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