iPad vs Microsoft Surface: Tablet Specs Compared

Microsoft?s back in the tablet race, folks. Today the company pulled back the curtain on a small family of slates called Surface. Available in two flavors ? one all business for a full-featured install of Windows 8 Pro and another with Windows RT powered by an Nvidia ARM CPU?Surface is the tech behemoth?s one-two counterpunch to the Apple iPad.?

But how do the new Windows-based slates compare to Apple?s high-selling game changer? Well, for starters, the Surface are both larger machines. The screens measure in at 10.6-inches (with what?s described to be full HD resolutions in Microsoft?s press materials). Despite that win in size, the Surface twins are heavier than the iPad, about 1.5? for the Windows RT version vs. 1.44 pounds for Apple?s slate. The Windows 8 Pro model is nearly 2 pounds.

Some other points of difference include storage size: the Surface with Windows 8 Pro can include a 128GB hard drive. Since that more robustly equipped model is designed to have a more powerful, laptop-compatible processor, the added storage could be a welcome addition.

We don?t yet know how much it costs to take a Surface tablet home. Nor do we know the rated battery life. But for those of you already stoked for the Surface, here?s how Microsoft?s new tablets stand up against the iPad 3.

?	?		?
Device	iPad (Third Generation)	Surface (Windows RT)	Surface (Windows Pro)
Price	$499	?TBA	TBA
CPU	?Apple A5X dual-core	?Nvidia Tegra 3	Intel Core i5
OS	iOS 5	Windows 8 RT	Windows 8 Pro
Display	9.7 inches (2048 x 1536)	10.6 inches (Resolution unknown)	?10.6 inches? (Resolution unknown)
Size (inches)	9.5 x 7.31 x 0.37	.37 inches thick	?.53 inches thick
Weight (pounds)	?1.44	?1.49	?1.99
Storage (Built-In)	16GB, 32GB, 64GB	32GB, 64GB	?64GB, 128GB
Ports	10-pin	microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2?2 MiMO Antenne	microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, 2?2 MiMO Antenae

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