Microsoft releases video showcasing making of Surface tablet

With the release of Windows 8 on the horizon, Microsoft has released a new video that showcases its flagship tablet – the Microsoft Surface. The video shows some of the effort that went into the making of the Windows 8 tablet, along with its extremely thin keyboard.

Among the things shown in the video, there are developers talking about the metal they used for making the tablet. Microsoft had to pick the right metal so as to keep the tablet light, but also make it sturdy and durable. Another major topic of the video is the keyboard. According to Microsoft, the engineers had first said that the ultra-thin keyboard is just not possible, but the company managed to make a keyboard that turned out to be 1mm thinner than the original plans.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Microsoft is going to launch the Surface tablet on October 26. Microsoft had sent out invitations to a special 'Surface Reception' event held for launching the company's latest version of Windows, simply titled Windows 8.

This is the closest we have got to solid information about the date of this much awaited tablet finally making an appearance. According to a previous report, the prices of the Surface tablet will be $499 for the 32GB Wi-Fi only version, compared to $599 for the comparable version of Apple's iPad.

The Surface looks like it'll make quite the impact on the tablet market

Though the major talking point of the event is the debut of the Surface tablet, rumours of a handset have been doing the rounds. This comes in the form of a smartphone with the Surface branding. Earlier this year, reports indicated that Microsoft may be building its own handset that will run on the forthcoming Windows Phone 8 platform. Microsoft did not confirm or deny the speculation, but a spokesperson stated that Microsoft, together with its hardware partners, was focussed on bringing Windows Phone 8 to the market this year. Adding fuel to these rumours, a report by BGR had indicated that Microsoft may launch its own Windows Phone 8 handset that could be launched within the next few months.

According to the BGR report, Microsoft aims to tackle the smartphone industry in a similar way to its attempts at a tablet. Microsoft is quietly working on its own smartphone that will be competing with high-end smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S III and the iPhone 5. This may be worrying to handset manufacturers as Microsoft will also be competing with the Windows Phone 8 smartphones by Nokia and Samsung. BGR's source informed it that the handset is in the late stage of development, and that it will be launched in the coming months. The report also indicates that much like their tablets, this smartphone too will be launched under the Surface brand name. As for the launch period, it is likely that the handset will be available by the first quarter of 2013.

While 2013 may still be a long way off to witness a Surface smartphone, October 26th isn’t and this is when we can see the Surface tablet finally being launched after months of waiting.