"This absolutely begs the question," said Gottheil. "If the Surface is going head-to-head with the iPad, why not just buy an iPad?"

Much depends on what prices Microsoft puts on the Surface, something the company declined to disclose yesterday. Instead, it made vague references to competitive pricing, which many suspect hinted at numbers too high to entice customers, consumers especially, from opting for an iPad, a true notebook or a cheaper Android tablet.

Monday, Microsoft said the consumer-oriented Windows RT Surface would be "competitive with a comparable ARM tablet," while the heavier Windows 8 Pro model would be priced similarly to "an Intel ultrabook-class PC."

But that leaves enough room for a broad price range.

Microsoft on Monday unveiled a product aimed directly at Apple's iPad, releasing a tablet called Surface. The new tablet will be available in two versions: One with the Windows 8 Pro operating system and one based on Windows RT.