Microsoft unveils Surface

Surface gives Microsoft a tablet designed in-house, with a built-in kickstand and a thin cover that doubles as a keyboard. The hardware is meant to shift between viewing and making.

The announcement arrives alongside Windows 8, whose touch interface asks the desktop operating system to work on tablets. Surface becomes Microsoft’s example of that transition.

For PC makers, the move changes the relationship with the platform owner. Microsoft is now demonstrating the industrial design, accessories, and software experience it wants Windows hardware to deliver.