Microsoft Unveils Two Tablets to Compete with Apple iPad

In a direct challenge to Apple's domination of the computer tablet market, Microsoft unveiled a pair of Windows-based tablets in Los Angeles Monday, insisting they would be more user-friendly with options such as a kickstand and combination touch-type keyboard/protective cover.

The tablets will utilize the new Microsoft Windows 8 operating system and will include a full-size USB port and a protective, 3mm-thin protective cover that folds down and can be used for typing -- more efficiently than a touch-screen keyboard, according to the company. The tablets will also offer a 5mm Type Cover that includes moving keys, giving users a more traditional typing feel.

Known as Surface, the Microsoft tablets will feature an HD-standard 16:9 aspect ratio, front- and rear-facing HD video cameras, an integrated kickstand and 10.6-inch screen.

Surface will come in two models -- one with an ARM processor with Windows RT and one with an Intel Core processor running Windows 8 Pro. The ARM version will be released first when Windows 8 hits the market later this year, and the Windows 8 Pro model will be released three months later.

There was no immediate word on how much the Microsoft tablets would cost.

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