Microsoft mystery event unveiled - Live Coverage

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The doors have opened to the press, and they're flooding in for what seems to be the biggest Microsoft event of the year. But what will it hold? No-one knows just yet.

Some content via The Verge

Neowin Live - This event has concluded

22:28 Owen Williams Welcome to this Neowin.net live event. Coverage will begin shortly.
22:29 Owen Williams Hi Everyone, the doors about to open :)
22:31 Owen Williams There's a "limited photo opportunity" at the end. Whatever it is, it sounds like it'll be behind glass.
22:33 Owen Williams The line is still not moving for press to get in.
22:33 Brad Sams We will have three of us working this liveblog but will try to let only one run the text while the rest the other two upload pictures (hopefully)
22:41 Owen Williams Still waiting in line...
22:42 Owen Williams This is the location of the event: http://www.milkstudios.com/
22:43 Owen Williams Alright, everyone is going inside!
22:44 Owen Williams It's going to take a while to get everyone inside.
22:47 Owen Williams Any last minute guesses?
22:47 Owen Williams Alright, folks are being seated.
22:49 Owen Williams
22:50 Owen Williams
22:50 Owen Williams They handed us cards with "5:20pm" written on them and mysteriously said "This will be clearer later on during the presentation.
22:51 Owen Williams My bets are still on an Xbox-related device.
22:52 Owen Williams There is no cellphone coverage inside the Microsoft event.
22:54 Owen Williams There's a runway inside. Fashion show?
22:56 Owen Williams We think the time cards are for photo opportunities after the event.
22:57 Brad Sams
22:58 Owen Williams It looks like the dotted line thing is something to do with blurring the lines between screens.
22:58 Brad Sams
22:58 Owen Williams Our card has "5:30pm" written on it
22:59 Brad Sams
23:00 Owen Williams Is this the first time that the news hasn't leaked BEFORE the event?
23:01 Owen Williams There's definitely a dual-screen esque feel here...
23:02 Owen Williams The images are all implying it, at least.
23:02 Brad Sams
23:02 Owen Williams Surely they haven't bought the courier with them?
23:03 Brad Sams
23:04 Owen Williams If the courier is really here, pigs are flying today...
23:05 Owen Williams Just a few minutes left, apparently...
23:05 Brad Sams
23:06 Brad Sams
23:07 Owen Williams Microsoft just reached out to us to ask us to use our photos of the event...
23:08 Owen Williams No taping during the presentation.
23:08 Owen Williams They just mentioned something about "obtaining" something.
23:09 Owen Williams "Good afternoon, and Welcome!"
23:10 Owen Williams The screen has patterns of rectangles flashing over it now...
23:10 Owen Williams Rectangles mean tablets... right?
23:12 Owen Williams Steve Ballmer is on stage!
23:12 Owen Williams Looks like this is going to be a Windows announcement
23:13 Owen Williams hank you for joining us. The past several years have seen great change in the industry, and from Microsoft.
23:13 Brad Sams
23:13 Owen Williams Talking about embracing cloud computing and entertainment
23:13 Owen Williams "Windows"
23:13 Owen Williams In homes, businesses, schools and government...
23:13 Owen Williams "Windows 8 reimagines the product"
23:14 Brad Sams
23:14 Owen Williams "We designed Windows 8 for the world we know, in which most computers are mobile."
23:14 Brad Sams
23:15 Owen Williams "Excitement is high for Windows 8"
23:15 Owen Williams Ballmer is listing off new Windows 8 features.
23:15 Owen Williams Windows RT, Metro, apps
23:15 Owen Williams "Today we want to add another piece to that Windows 8 story."
23:15 Brad Sams
23:16 Owen Williams Ballmer thanked Microsoft partners and customers
23:16 Brad Sams
23:16 Owen Williams "It was always clear that what our software could do would require us to push hardware, sometimes where our partners hadn't envisioned."
23:16 Owen Williams Woah...
23:16 Owen Williams I think Microsoft made a tablet.
23:16 Owen Williams This is definitely hardware
23:16 Owen Williams Video time now...
23:17 Owen Williams Mice, Keyboards... Xbox...
23:17 Owen Williams All wireless, btw
23:17 Owen Williams Surface was in that video,talkinga bout Kinect now
23:17 Owen Williams "here's to the next 30 years"
23:18 Owen Williams Ballmer is back on stage
23:18 Owen Williams "We believe that any intersection between human and machine can be made better when every aspect of the experience is considered together."
23:19 Owen Williams Ballmer just said that "Microsoft built the mouse for Windows"
23:19 Brad Sams
23:19 Owen Williams "Our most successful hardware has been the Xbox."
23:19 Brad Sams
23:19 Owen Williams "We see that combination working in our PC ecosystem"
23:20 Brad Sams
23:20 Owen Williams "The ultimate landing point of the PC experience is through our OEM's"
23:20 Owen Williams No mention of the Zune...
23:21 Owen Williams "with Windows 8 we did not want to leave any scene uncovered."
23:21 Owen Williams "We wanted to give Windows 8 it's own hardware."
23:21 Owen Williams "What is it? It's something new. A whole new family of computing devices from MSFT"
23:21 Brad Sams
23:22 Owen Williams "This is the new Microsoft Surface."
23:22 Owen Williams Steve has a tablet in his hand...
23:22 Brad Sams
23:22 Owen Williams "Hardware and software pushing each other."
23:23 Owen Williams Steve Sinofsky just came out
23:23 Owen Williams "A tablet that works and plays the way you want it to"
23:23 Brad Sams
23:24 Owen Williams Surface comes in at 9.3mm thick, features USB2.0
23:24 Owen Williams Built in magnesium
23:24 Owen Williams "VaporMag case" is the technical name
23:25 Owen Williams 576 grams!
23:25 Owen Williams "This case is the first of its kind."
23:25 Owen Williams "I can go and play games on the Windows Store."
23:25 Owen Williams 10.6" display
23:25 Owen Williams There's a Windows logo on the back...
23:26 Brad Sams
23:26 Owen Williams Woah, the tablet didn't work...
23:26 Owen Williams He just grabbed another tablet
23:26 Owen Williams "here's Netflix on Windows 8"
23:26 Brad Sams
23:26 Owen Williams Semantic Zoom works with Microsoft Surface
23:27 Brad Sams
23:27 Owen Williams Build in kickstand...
23:28 Owen Williams "Surface is designed to be mobile."
23:28 Owen Williams It has gorilla glass too!
23:29 Owen Williams The cover is a full multitouch keyboard!
23:30 Brad Sams Showing off a nice looking keyboard for the surface
23:30 Owen Williams Keyboard comes in tons of metro colors
23:30 Brad Sams crowd is loving it
23:30 Brad Sams
23:30 Brad Sams 3mm thin keyboard
23:30 Brad Sams touch typing
23:31 Brad Sams Device will even run offic, full windows desktop, nothing held back here folks
23:31 Brad Sams
23:31 Brad Sams That's surface in a tablet form, moving on!
23:32 Brad Sams So it will run on Windows based on Intel and Windows RT
23:33 Brad Sams
23:33 Brad Sams There is also Windows 8 pro - surface
23:33 Brad Sams Designed for the corporate enviornment
23:33 Brad Sams This intel based version is less than 2lbs, cleartype display,
23:35 Brad Sams The pro version has top notch specs including Core i5 3rd gen chps
23:35 Brad Sams
23:36 Brad Sams Works with a stylus, digital ink
23:36 Brad Sams
23:37 Brad Sams Live inline editing with text and pen, distance between the screen and the tip of the stylus is .7inches so it feels like you are writting on the page
23:37 Brad Sams
23:38 Brad Sams The stylus will magnetize to the tablet, display port on the device too
23:39 Brad Sams Now showing the device running full desktop mode, new look at the UI
23:40 Brad Sams Ms will also introudcing type cover
23:40 Brad Sams It appears to be an overlay to the thin keyboard that gives you tacticle feedback
23:41 Brad Sams
23:41 Brad Sams Showing off another video
23:42 Brad Sams This is about how the product came from concept to creation
23:42 Brad Sams
23:43 Brad Sams Microsoft touting the build quality here, something really special
23:43 Brad Sams
23:44 Brad Sams
23:44 Brad Sams The tablet is perfect as it is part of their teams culture
23:45 Brad Sams
23:46 Brad Sams Microsoft wanted to bring creativity to the platform, it has an integrated kickstand, and is comfortable to use all day
23:47 Brad Sams The hinges on the kickstand are made to feel like a high end car door..no cheap slamming here
23:48 Brad Sams
23:49 Brad Sams
23:49 Brad Sams The case is basically custom fit, no surprises here, microsoft wen all out.
23:50 Brad Sams The touch covers simply attach, pair instantly, and effortlessly
23:51 Brad Sams Touch covers are 3mm thin
23:51 Brad Sams It will look and feel like a book, a courier maybe?
23:52 Brad Sams
23:52 Brad Sams
23:53 Brad Sams The tablet has an accelerometer built in too
23:54 Brad Sams Showing off the impressive touch cover and how it has tactical feel as well
23:54 Brad Sams Touch reaction time is faster than your standard keyboard
23:55 Brad Sams Sinofsky back on stage
23:56 Brad Sams Surface will come in 32 and 64 GB size, prices in the ballpark of ARM tablets
23:56 Brad Sams The intel version, higher storage capacity, higher price..closer to ultrabook price we presume
23:57 Owen Williams "Why now?"
23:57 Brad Sams Ballmer back on stage
23:57 Owen Williams Availability will be with Windows 8 launch for Win RT - 3 months later for Pro.
23:57 Owen Williams "we took the time to get surface and Windows 8 right"
23:58 Owen Williams "We want those of you here to see and touch it, we have several stations set up next door where you can see what went into it."
23:58 Owen Williams It's hands on time.
23:58 Owen Williams ...And it's over.
23:58 Brad Sams
23:59 Owen Williams It's impressive that Microsoft kept this secret for so long.
23:59 Owen Williams If Windows 8 RTM's soon, devices could be available in just 6 weeks...
23:59 Owen Williams Alright, folks, that's the end of that!
23:59 Owen Williams Thanks for watching! :)
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