Microsoft on Monday unlocked the mystery of the secret device it is making, unveiling the Surface tablet at a fancy press event in Hollywood.

But while it showed off the new device and revealed some of its specs,there are still many unanswered questions--even if CEO Steve Ballmer wants us to know that the 'Surface is a PC, the Surface is a tablet and the Surface is something new that we think people will really love.'

Here are some of the biggest questions:

Microsoft's Windows chief simply said the Surface will 'be priced like comparable tablets.' Some analysts expect Windows 8 tablets could be priced higher than the iPad, which starts at $499 for 16 GB. The Surface comes with 32 GB or 64 GB of storage, so a comparable iPad would be $599 and $699 respectively. If the Surface is as expensive or more, Microsoft will have the Herculean task of impressing consumers enough to convince them it's worth more than the iPad.

Microsoft didn't release any dates, but the Windows RT version of the Surface is expected to come out with the launch of Windows 8 due out in the fall. The more powerful Surface Pro version is scheduled to come out a few months later in early 2013.

Microsoft said it will sell the Surface on its website and at its handful of retailers but the company didn't say whether any other retailers will be selling the Surface. In addition to its website, Apple has built a formidableretail channel, with more than 300 of its own stores, kiosks in most Best Buys and its products in hundreds of AT&T and Verizon Wireless shops.

No word from Microsoft on how it would connect wirelessly. That may mean Microsoft is still forging partnerships with carriers. It'll most likely have WiFi capability, but given the iPad has 3G/4G connectivity, consumers will demand it especially if the Surface is higher-priced.

Microsoft boasted in a press release that the Surface was 'conceived, designed and engineered entirely by Microsoft employees.' But a big question is where Microsoft will get all of its components from, and how much it is paying. We can't imagine longtime PC manufacturing partners like Dell and Hewlett-Packard are happy that Microsoft is making its own tablet, though Ballmer tried to soften any issues by saying 'those partnerships are essential to the reimagination of Windows.' What we do know is that the Surface running Windows 8 will run chips from Intel and the versions running Windows RT will be powered by Nvidia.

At first glance this is a curious omission on the specs sheet. But Microsoft is still developing Windows 8 so it probably doesn't want to estimatebattery life until the OS is finished. Microsoft did say the RT model will have a 31.5 Watt-hour battery, while the larger Pro version will have a 42 W-h battery (the same as the new iPad). Much of it will depend on how much battery life Windows 8 hogs. And the screen will have an effect too--while it's larger than the iPad (10.6 inches to the iPad's 9.7), it has less pixels which could mean battery savings. Apple says the iPad can last up to 10 hours while surfing the Web on Wi-Fi, watching videos and listening to music, and up to nine hours on a 3G network.

Apple's success with its various devices hinges on its app ecosystem--there are more than 600,000 apps across the iPad, iPhone and Mac, and more than 225,000 specifically for the iPad. But Microsoft has fallen way behind Apple and Google (and even BlackBerry) in the apps department. Its Windows smartphones have only about 70,000 apps, compared with a half a million or more for Android phones and iPhones. Microsoft will need to continue subsidizing apps in order to court developers who are tied to Android and iOS. Microsoft does have an army of Windows programmers who could get behind this, and also is creating a Windows Store, where developers can sell both desktop and mobile apps. One plus: Microsoft is pre-loading its Microsoft Office applications on the Surface.

Scott Austin

• mystery [´mistəri]   n.神秘；秘密；故弄玄虚   (初中英语单词)
• device [di´vais]   n.装置；器具；策略   (初中英语单词)
• expensive [ik´spensiv]   a.费钱的，昂贵的   (初中英语单词)
• convince [kən´vins]   vt.使确信；使认识错误   (初中英语单词)
• release [ri´li:s]   vt&n.释放；放松；赦免   (初中英语单词)
• addition [ə´diʃən]   n.加；加法；附加物   (初中英语单词)
• channel [´tʃænəl]   n.海峡；航道；途径   (初中英语单词)
• soften [´sɔfən]   v.使(变)软(柔和)   (初中英语单词)
• essential [i´senʃəl]   a.必需的 n.要素，要点   (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ]   a.奔跑的；流动的   (初中英语单词)
• estimate [´estimət, ´estimeit]   n.估计；评价 vt.估价   (初中英语单词)
• screen [skri:n]   n.银幕 vt.遮蔽   (初中英语单词)
• tablet [´tæblit]   n.碑；牌；匾额   (高中英语单词)
• storage [´stɔ:ridʒ]   n.贮存；存储器   (高中英语单词)
• launch [lɔ:ntʃ]   vt.发动 n.发射；汽艇   (高中英语单词)
• handful [hændful]   n.一把，少数，一小撮   (高中英语单词)
• formidable [´fɔ:midəbəl]   a.可怕的；艰难的   (高中英语单词)
• forging [´fɔ:dʒiŋ]   n.锻件；锻造(法)   (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ]   n.言语；言论；格言   (高中英语单词)
• battery [´bætəri]   n.炮兵连；炮台；电池   (高中英语单词)
• comparable [´kɔmpərəbəl]   a.可比较的；类似的   (英语四级单词)
• respectively [ri´spektivli]   ad.各自地；分别地   (英语四级单词)
• version [´və:ʃən, ´və:rʒən]   n.翻译；说明；译本   (英语四级单词)
• retail [´ri:teil, ri´teil]   n.&a.&v.零售(商品的)   (英语四级单词)
• omission [əu´miʃən]   n.省略；遗漏；失职   (英语六级单词)