Microsoft’s (News - Alert) upcoming Surface tablet has been widely talked about for months. The day that everyone has been waiting for is quickly approaching, and it promises to be even more exciting than the recent release of the iPhone (News - Alert) 5. The release of the Surface tablet has the potential to both revolutionize the tablet market and to completely change Microsoft’s role in the technology market.

Microsoft is announcing a $499 price tag (News - Alert) to be place on its new Surface tablet when it hits the stores on October 26th. Apple’s (News - Alert) iPad , the world’s most popular tablet, is also offered at $499, but it only has half of the internal memory (16 gigabytes) and is slightly smaller the Surface. To upgrade to include the cover that also serves as a keyboard is an additional $100, but for an additional $200, users can get double the memory with 64 GB and a keyboard cover.


Image via www.microsoft.com

Some of the Surface tablet’s most coveted features include: a 9.3 millimeter thickness, a built-in kickstand, tap detection in the keyboard- a feature that senses whether or not the user meant to press a key, a USB port, optical bonding, a front-facing and a rear-facing camera, and perimeter venting.

Microsoft is known more as a software company rather a manufacturer of computers or tablets. October 26th will be a big day for Microsoft when, not only will they launch their new Surface tablet, they will launch their new Microsoft 8 operating system that touts easier use with tablets and touch screen computers.

The Surface will be available online in the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Germany, France, Canada, and the United States. Microsoft stores will offer the Surface for sale in the United States and Canada. Tech users all over the world are anxiously awaiting the release of the Surface; October 26th will be a telling day for the future of the tablet market and for whether or not Microsoft’s new direction is a successful one.