Surface

Yesterday, Microsoft announced their competitor to the "let's beat the iPad" race. It's called surface, and it's honestly pretty impressive. Some people online are already hailing it as a serious iPad contender, while others say we need more time. I obviously didn't handle it myself, but I agree with the latter. On paper, it looks pretty good. The premium version is a tablet and an ultrabook in one, the smart cover functions as a keyboard, there's a built-in kickstand, and the metro windows 8 GUI looks quite nice.

It's taking a different approach from Apple, and for that, I have to give them credit. Android just copied off iOS, and it looks like a cheap imitation. At least Microsoft tried to come up with something different and innovative, and so far, it shows. I think this tablet has serious potential, and I can't wait to play around with it whenever I can.

What I'm most glad about, almost oxymoronically, is that it'll force Apple to up its game. Apple has been leading the tablet market, with good reason. But with Microsoft potentially hot on their heels, they may need to up their innovation, which can lead to a tablet evolution war. Maybe stressful for them, but beneficial for consumers, both in technological advancement and hopefully in affordability. It looks like the true tablet wars may be beginning. Best to sit this one out, Google.