Surface

The original Surface RT with Touch Cover attached
Developer	Microsoft
Product family	Microsoft Surface
Type	Hybrid tablet
Release date	October 26, 2012
Discontinued	July 18, 2013[1]
Operating system	Windows RT 8 Upgradable to Windows RT 8.1
System on a chip	NvidiaTegra 3
Memory	2 GB
Storage	32/64 GB microSDXC card slot
Sound	Stereo speakers
Input	Two 720p HD LifeCams, front and rear facing Two Microphones, headset jack, Ambient Light Accelerometers Gyroscope Compass
Connectivity	Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 4.0 USB 2.0 HD video out (micro-HDMI)
Power	Built-in rechargeable Li-Po 31.5 Wh 24 W power supply
Online services	Windows Store,OneDrive,Outlook.com,Microsoft Account,Xbox Music,Xbox Live
Dimensions	10.81 inches (27.5 cm)(width) 6.77 inches (17.2 cm)(height) 0.37 inches (9.4 mm)(depth)
Weight	1.5 pounds (680 g)
Predecessor	Microsoft Tablet PC
Successor	Surface 2

The first-generationSurface (launched asSurface with Windows RT,^[2] later marketed asSurface RT)^[3] is ahybrid tablet computer developed and manufactured byMicrosoft. Announced in June 2012, it was released in October 2012, and was the firstpersonal computer designed in-house by Microsoft.

Positioned as a competitor toApple'siPad line, Surface included several distinctive features, including a folding kickstand which allowed the tablet to stand at an angle, and the availability of optional attachable protective covers incorporating a keyboard. Surface served as the launch device forWindows RT, a limited version ofWindows 8 designed for devices based onARM architecture, with the ability to run onlyMetro-style Windows applications developed for it and distributed through theWindows Store.

Surface was met with mixed reviews. Although praised for its hardware design, accessories, and aspects of its operating system, criticism was directed towards the performance of the device, as well as the limitations of the Windows RT operating system and its application ecosystem. Sales of the Surface were poor, with Microsoft cutting its price worldwide and taking a US$990 million loss in July 2013 as a result. It was succeeded by theSurface 2 in 2013, with the newer Windows RT 8.1, which was also made available for the original Surface. Support for the OS ended on January 10, 2023.^[4]

The device was announced at a press-only event inLos Angeles and was the first PC which Microsoft had designed and manufactured in-house.^[5] The Surface only supports WiFi for wireless connectivity, with no cellular variant. The tablet went on sale in eight countries -Australia,Canada,China,France,Germany,Hong Kong,the United Kingdom, andthe United States. The Surface Pro was launched later.^[6]

The Surface tablet has a display of 1366x768 pixels on a five-pointmulti-touchtouchscreen withGorilla Glass 2 (LTL106AL01). The device measures 10.81 by 6.77 by 0.37 inches (27.46 cm × 17.20 cm × 0.94 cm) and is made from magnesium. The kickstand, USB port, and a magnetic keyboard interface give the Surface ability to add a wireless mouse, external keyboard, or athumb drive. There is also a slot for amicroSD card to add up to 200 GB.

Surface runs Windows RT, which is preloaded with Windows Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Sports, News, Travel, Finance, Camera, Weather, Reader, SkyDrive, Store, Photos, Skype (no longer supported), Maps, Games, Messaging, Bing, Desktop, and Xbox Music and Xbox Video Windows Store applications, and supportsMicrosoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote within the Desktop application. Windows RT only allows installing Windows Store applications. Windows RT is compiled entirely for the ARM instruction set architecture.

A major update to Windows RT was launched on October 17, 2013, called Windows RT 8.1. This update brought many improvements to the Surface, such as an overhauled Mail app, moreBing apps like Reading List, and OneDrive (updated from SkyDrive). It also brought support for larger tiles, a help and tips app,Internet Explorer 11, Outlook 2013 RT, changes to PC Settings, lock screen photo slideshow, infinitely re-sizable apps, a Start button, and speed improvements. Later, an update to Windows RT 8.1, dubbed Windows RT 8.1 Update^[9] added a search button to the Start Screen, as well as thetaskbar on the Modern UI, and a title bar for Modern UI apps.

Surface launched with two accessories, the Type Cover and the Touch Cover. The Touch Cover came in white, black, magenta, red, and cyan, while the Type Cover came in black. Limited edition Touch Covers were released featuring laser-etched artwork on the back. The Touch and Type Covers double as keyboards and magnetically attach to the Surface's "accessory spine".

Later, adapters for micro-HDMI to HDMI^[10] and VGA were released.

CNET praised the design of Surface, noting that it " Looked practical without being cold, and just feels like a high-quality device that Microsoft cut few corners to make." The kickstand was also praised for its feel and quality, while both the kickstand and the keyboard cover accessories were also noted for having a "satisfying" clicking sound when engaged or attached. The covers were deemed "essential to getting the complete Surface experience", with the touch cover praised for having a more "spacious" typing area than other tablet keyboard attachments, and for being usable after getting used to its soft feel. The Type Cover was recommended over the Touch Cover due to its higher quality and more conventional key design. Surface's display was praised for its larger size and widescreen aspect ratio over the iPad line but panned for having "muted" color reproduction. While the touchscreen-oriented aspects of the Windows 8 interface were praised for being "elegant", albeit harder to learn thanAndroid oriOS, the Windows RT operating system was criticized for still requiring the use of the mouse-oriented desktop interface to access some applications and settings not accessible from within the "Metro" shell, and for its poor application ecosystem, with Windows Store's state on-launch compared to "a ghost town after the apocalypse." The poor performance of the Surface, especially in comparison to other Tegra 3-based tablets, also led to disapproval. In conclusion, it was felt that "paired with a keyboard cover, the Surface is an excellent Office productivity tool (the best in tablet form) and if your entertainment needs don't go far beyond movies, TV shows, music, and the occasional simple game, you're covered there as well", but that assuming Windows Store would eventually improve its application selection, "both it and the Surface's wonky performance keep a useful productivity device from reaching true tablet greatness."^[11]

Sales of the Surface and other Windows RT devices were poor; in July 2013, Microsoft reported a loss of US$900 million due to lackluster sales of the Surface, and cut its price by 30% worldwide.^{[12][13][14][15][16]} Microsoft's price cut did result in a slight increase of market share for the device; by late-August 2013, usage data from the advertising networkAdDuplex (which provides advertising services within Windows Store apps) revealed that Surface's share had increased from 6.2 to 9.8%.^[17]

Timeline of Surface devices v t e
Sources:Microsoft Devices BlogMicrosoft Surface StoreMicrosoft Surface for Business store

Official website

• Microsoft Surface
• Windows RT devices
• Tablet computers
• Tablet computers introduced in 2012
• Products and services discontinued in 2013

• Pages using the EasyTimeline extension
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata