Microsoft announces Surface tablet family

Apparently MS have been pumping the rumour mill full of SEO loving link bait creating juice about a big product announcement today...or tonight as it's 6.30pm Eastern Standard Time (11.30pm our time)...anyone care enough to speculate on what it is?

Live blogging will commence over at BGR.

Keeping products secret is not something MS usually does, so I doubt it'll be anything world shattering. An MS-branded Windows RT tablet is the most likely thing I suppose. The only thing that would excite me about one of those is the price.

Saw something about an 'Xbox Surface' tablet but this sounds a bit...naff to be true...

Isn't it something about the ARM-based version Windows 8?

It's an extra special secret last bit of knowledge about it that changes everything. EVERYTHING.

It changes everything. AGAIN.

Thats better than my fucking desktop

It's probably a new mouse.

After having fucked on with a bastardised version of Debian on a plug computer and also fannied about endlessly with a NAS with an ARM processor with some Korean schoolchild's idea of an operating system on another, I must say I'm quite looking forward to Windows having a go.

If it is a BIG reveal, well done on keeping it secret. But to match Apple they'll have to end the announcement with '... it ships today'.

It's also being blogged on The Verge from 11.30pm

It won't be a touchscreen xbox. The games industry is notoriously leaky and we would've heard about it already.

I find it hard to believe that also. Mainly because it seems like a really stupid way of diluting your brand while neglecting another suited to the device...

Hmmm, may as well have a silly guess.

Im sure they don't want to dilute the xbox brand, but at the same time they'd like some of their xbox consumer success to rub off on other stuff, including tablets. And I usually moan about the downsides of Microsoft and Google relying on partners to make the hardware. So I think they may as well try something, though Im not sure exactly what, haven't given it too much thought yet.

Would laugh if it turns out to be office for iPad apps, although I find that somewhat unlikely as it would be stupid to release such apps now when we are approaching the time when they are going to want windows 8 tablets to be a success.

Well they've blown one of the key elements of a big secret event: starting on time.

No they haven't, they said doors open at half past as far as I know. Blame the press for bad reporting of the factoids.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/tablets/3364534/live-microsoft-la-press-event/

The doors didn't open at 3.30pm. They've also blown another element too, making Europe stay up late to see this. Apple have always been smart enough to get the news cycles in both continents.

From Cnet:

Well if the product is any good it will overcome the press and wanky marketing issues. I don't really give a shit how its announced, and nor do most people who might end up buying it (or laughing at how crap it is).

I agree that annoying journalists is not usually a smart move but hey, its not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.

Apparently those going in were given this card and told it'll make sense later in the presentation.

If the CNET coverage is anything to go by there is an unsurprising lack of understanding about WindowsRT beyond geeks who understand the specific technology differences.

Blimey, some are talking about the Courier! Mentioning some of the graphics are reminiscent of it...now MS announcing that would be something.

Well Ballmer has gone on about Windows 8 and Microsoft sometimes needing to push the bounds of hardware by doing hardware themselves, so I think we get some idea where this is going.

Steve channelling Steve Jobs?