When Apple introduced the iPad tablet, it was unique.
It had a large flat glass viewing screen which you touched to move and open files, it was extremely light and thin, and it had a magnetic cover that not only protected it but it shut it down as well.
When new technology comes along–and proves to be popular and successful–it’s not long before other companies try to duplicate it. They try to improve on the other company’s product if they can.
That’s the case with Microsoft’s new tablet called Surface.
Surface looks a lot like an iPad. It also has a touch screen and a magnetic cover that protects the glass. But Surface’s cover doubles as a keyboard. When the cover is flipped open, you can type on it.
Similar to the iPad, Surface can be propped up to give you a better viewing angle.
Microsoft (Apple’s main competitor or rival) launched Surface to co-incide with its new operating system, Windows 8. An operating system (or OS) is the most important piece of software on a computer or other digital device. It’s the software that allows all of the other software (like programs and applications) to operate.
Microsoft hasn’t yet announced how much Surface will cost or when it will be available. Windows 8 will be available in the fall.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Kathleen Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Why do you think Microsoft’s new tablet is called Surface? What would you have called it?
Reading Prompt: Extending Understanding
In your opinion, what are the most important functions of a new piece of technology? What would you look for if you were going to get a new phone, tablet or computer?
Junior
Extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6).
Intermediate
Extend understanding of texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6).
Grammar Feature: Contractions
A contraction is a shortened form of two words. In a contraction an apostrophe takes the place of missing letters. For example, “shouldn’t” is the contraction for “should not”.
Find the contractions in this article and identify the long forms for each one.
