iPad vs Microsoft Surface: Tablet specs compared Microsoft's back in the tablet race, folks. Monday the company pulled back the curtain on a small family of slates called Surface. Available in two flavors -- one all business for a full-featured install of Windows 8 Pro and another with Windows RT for mobile processors -- Surface is the tech behemoth's answer to the Apple iPad. But how do the new Windows-based slates compare to Apple's high-selling game changer? Well, for starters, the Surface are both larger machines. The screens measure in at 10.6-inches (with what's described to be full HD resolutions in Microsoft's press materials). Despite that win in size, the Surface twins are much heavier than the iPad, about 1.5 vs. 1.4 pounds. Some other points of difference include storage size: the Surface with Window Pro can include a 128GB hard drive. Since that more robustly equipped model is designed to have a more powerful, laptop-compatible processor, the added storage could be a welcome addition. Of course, that would depend on how much it costs to take a Surface tablet home, and we've got no word on that yet. For those of you already stoked for the Surface, here's how Microsoft's new tablets stand up against the iPad 3. Device iPad 3 Surface (Windows RT) Surface (Windows Pro) Price Apple A5X dual-core Nvidia Tegra 3 Intel Core i5 Windows 8 RT Windows 8 Pro Display 9.7 inches (1024 x 768) 10.6 inches (Resolution unknown) Size (inches) .37 inches thick Weight (pounds) Storage (Built-In) Ports 10-pin microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2x2 MiMO Antenne microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, 2x2 MiMO Antennae Copyright 2012 LAPTOP, a TechMediaNetwork company.