14 DAY TRIAL // The Surface tablet, Microsoft’s big bet in a world dominated by Apple, is heavily criticized by competitors, despite the impressive success it recorded since the Redmond-based company released pricing information.
But this only happens because the Surface is the kind of device everyone needs, Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with CNBC.
Apple’s iPad? Just the type of product you can’t really use, Ballmer added, emphasizing that the new Surface has everything it needs to reimagine the tablet market.
“I don’t think anybody has done a product that is the product that I see customers wanting,” Ballmer stated.
“You can go through the products from all those guys … and none of them has a product that you can really use. Not Apple. Not Google. Not Amazon. Nobody has a product that lets you work and play that can be your tablet and your PC. Not at any price point.”
Ever since Microsoft rolled out the Surface RT, it constantly described it as a two-in-one product, as it combines the better of two different worlds: laptops and tablets. It comes with a 3-mm thin keyboard that also serves as a cover and runs a special version of Windows 8.
“This is a first-class tablet that people can enjoy and appreciate,” Ballmer also added. “It’s a PC; it’s a tablet. It’s for play; it’s for work. It’s a got a great price. That product doesn’t exist today.”
Of course, the fruit-named company is yet to issue a comment on Ballmer’s statements, but given the fact that competition in the tablet market is fiercer than ever, expect more reactions soon.