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Technology
Microsoft Unveils New Tablet Computer
Taking a page from Apple's playbook, Microsoft is unveiling its tablet computer Monday at an invitation-only event in Los Angeles.
The Surface, as the product is called, will be a platform for Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system and hook up to the company's popular X-Box gaming console. It includes a cover that doubles as a touch-type keyboard. Microsoft also claims that it will have the best Wi-fi capability of any tablet on the market.
But Gartner Research Analyst Carolina Milanesi says the device's fate is in the hands of the public.
“A lot of it with consumers is about sex appeal,” says Milanesi, “and it's about buying something they think is cool and if you look at X Box, that's a classic example of something that resonated very well with consumers.”
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates first touted the potential of tablet computers back in 2001.
