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Today Microsoft will have the official coming out party for its maybe-too-different Surface tablet and the baffling Windows 8 operating system that goes along with it. Since its first over-hyped Surface related event in June, we've learned all the things about the gadget Microsoft didn't tell us the first time around. Like: the $500 price tag for the 32 GB model, the availability: tomorrow, and the not-as-good-as-the-iPad 7-hour battery life. At this point, reviewers and some customers have played with both tablets, giving us the impressions we'd need to make a purchase. So, then, why the need for the big Apple-style unveiling? We'll be there, starting at 11 a.m. EST, covering any excitement. But, before then, here's what we think might go down.
Answering the critics. While the tech world accepted the Surface as one of the biggest computing developments of the year, it didn't quite get it. Now would be an okay time for CEO Steve Ballmer to show us what his creation can do. Maybe, like every other gadget release this month, we will hear about the screen, a part of a computer that has become increasingly important, it seems. The Surface comes in at 10.6 inches, almost a full inch bigger than the iPad. Though, the resolution doesn't match the Retina display. Maybe we will hear about the touch keyboard, which our reviewers had a hard time getting used to.