For one thing, the Surface is saddled with various elements that scream "Microsoft." Most prominently, it will be sold with two different underlying architectures: an Intel-based model running Windows 8 Pro, and an ARM-processor-based model running Windows RT. Both models will be heavier than the iPad, though the Windows RT version may end up being slightly thinner than the iPad, Microsoft says. Only the Windows 8 Pro surface can run regular Windows apps in addition to touch-optimized ones. The two models will come in different size configurations.

iPad purchasing isn't without complexity of its own: Customers need to choose whether to get Wi-Fi-only models or cellular versions, and then between two different cellular carriers in the U.S. Microsoft didn't announce any plans to include cellular connectivity in the Surface.

Both Surfaces will feature a USB port, Mini DisplayPort, and a micro-SD card slot. There's plenty of real-world use for those ports, but again, it's exceedingly unlikely that Apple would add such features to the iPad--so those likely don't intimidate Apple much, either. And, true to Microsoft's seeming goal to satisfy all use cases, the Surface will ship with a stylus, too.

In truth, though, Apple's head start here is enormous. The App Store includes ; there are currently zero third-party apps designed for the Surface. While Microsoft will surely court the largest app makers and encourage them to develop for its platform, .

For some customers, a tablet must run some flavor of Windows to interest them. Apple's never going to win those customers over, and needn't worry about them. For everyone else, there's the iPad, a series of also-ran not-iPads, and the better-faring ebook tablet market dominated by the Kindle Fire and Nook Color. Microsoft's Surface will need to get a wide customer base to motivate app makers to develop for it--the same Catch-22 that continues to hamper acceptance of Windows Phone.