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Microsoft Surface (64GB with Black Touch Cover)
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Microsoft Corp unveiled faster, more powerful versions of its
Surface tablet computer on Monday in an effort to boost poor sales of its flagship hardware product and mount a stronger challenge to
Apple Inc's iPad.
The Surface is key to Microsoft's plan to reinvent itself as a
devices and services company, but the revamp comes less than a year
after it brought out its own computers for the first time and failed to
put a dent in the market. It has racked up only $853 million in sales
while generating a $900 million charge for unsold inventory.
At an event in New York, Microsoft unveiled two new machines and a
range of accessories promising faster processing, better battery life
and more apps.
The new Surface 2, which runs on a low-power chip designed by ARM Holdings Plc ,
starts at $449 for the 32 GB version, not including a snap-on keyboard
starting at $120. That is slightly less than Apple's latest wifi-only
32GB iPad, which costs $599.
The new Surface Pro 2, which runs on an Intel Corp
chip and is aimed more at the lightweight laptop market, starts at $899
for the 64 GB version, not including keyboard. Apple's cheapest 128 GB
MacBook Air costs $999.
