Microsoft takes the tablets

Microsoft has made its move into the tablet market, unveiling a product with a larger screen size than Apple’s dominant iPad and optimised for widescreen entertainment.

Microsoft Surface

Surface, which takes it name from the industrial touchscreen coffee-table device the software giant first showed off five years ago, is being billed as a PC but comes with a detachable keyboard that doubles as a cover.

Two models will be available, both with a 16:9 aspect ratio designed for HD, a consumer-focused version running Windows RT and an enterprise-level one based on Windows 8 Pro.

The launch comes as Microsoft continues to beef up its living room credentials, earlier this month announcing a new second-screen initiative called Xbox SmartGlass and bolstering the games console’s entertainment line-up.

Yesterday, it emerged that the company is also working on a significant upgrade to this device, dubbed “Xbox 720.” By 2015, the product will serve as a hub that will instantly stream any content the consumer wants, according to Business Insider.