Keeping Up: Surface

Microsoft is trying to give Apple a run for it’s money with the new Surface.

Pretty! Image courtesy of ew.com.

This might come as a surprise to you, but I was not invited to the product reveal in L.A. (I know, right? What the heck! My indignation knows no bounds.) Therefore, all I have to go on is various truncated reviews and Microsoft’s own website and pretty pictures.

And they are pretty!

Speaking from a purely aesthetic standpoint, I gotta say that the bright colors are a real draw for me. How shallow is that? Pretty shallow. But, I have to be honest and say that a bright pink keyboard that doubles as a screen cover is pretty fracking sweet.

Plus, I’ve never been a fan of lots of typing on a touch screen. I know that you can get attachable keyboards for the iPad, but they’ve never been shoved it my face like Microsoft seems to be doing.

Frankly, I think it’s a pretty good idea to feature the keyboard cover so prominently in promotional and marketing efforts. Kudos, Mr. Gates. Appealing to casual consumers like myself is probably not the worst of ideas.

What are your first impressions? Do you think the Surface has a chance against the iPad?