Slideshow: Microsoft Surface vs. Apple iPad

Maria Georgescu illustration

Microsoft says it will start selling the Surface, a new tablet computer which will come in two versions, later this year. Click though the photo gallery to see how its features compare with Apple's market-leading iPad.

Microsoft has jumped directly into the battle to take on Apple's tablet market dominating iPad with the Surface.

While some key questions, including price, remain unanswered, it is clear that Microsoft thinks it has a serious contender. Especially in light of the fact that it appears willing to alienate retail and PC partners by going it alone.

Some have argued since the unveiling that comparing the iPad and Surface is foolish, since Microsoft doesn't have the app store ecosystem behind its tablet that Apple and its army of independent software developers have.

Others will continue to prefer Amazon.com's Kindle Fire or Barnes & Noble's Nook, which in the end are more like tablet extensions of their online stores.

And there are the other Android tablets, such an Samsung's Galaxy Tab, that have tried to topple the iPad but have barely made a dent in its market.

But Microsoft is clearly measuring itself against the iPad with the Surface, so we have assembled a slideshow that compares the key features of both.

Will this be a revival of the old PC vs. Mac rivalry, or another swing and miss by Microsoft as it tries to expand beyond its software core market?

These and many other questions remain concerning the new Surface vs. iPad rivalry. But click through the photo gallery accompanying this story to see what we know about how they stack up, so far.

Cromwell Schubarth is Multimedia/Research Editor at the Business Journal. His phone number is 408.299.1823.

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