8:55 PM -- There appears to be a surprising absence in the newly-announced Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) Surface tablets: 4G wireless connectivity.
The Redmond-based company announced the cleverly designed new tablets-cum-PCs at an event in Los Angeles on Monday evening. Despite canny features like a super-skinny keyboard cover and a kickstand, the tablet appears to lack 4G capabilities and the associated carrier support.
Bloggers at the event Tweeted that the two devices have multiple Wi-Fi antennas for connectivity.
This will certainly help to differentiate the devices from its perceived key rival, the Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad. Apple has consistently launched its tablets with cellular support. The latest iPad can run over Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G, at least in the U.S.
Microsoft hasn't said exactly when the Windows 8 tablets will launch and how much they'll cost, so it's possible that things might change vis-a-vis wireless over the coming months. Certainly, Microsoft has talent on hand to include cellular options since it bought out Danger Inc. . (See Microsoft Buys Danger.)
Tablets can be data hogs, consuming as much as five times the data that a smartphone does, so you likely want to stay on Wi-Fi most of the time anyway. But if you want a tablet with the option of 4G connectivity, Microsoft may have just made your choice of device a little simpler than it could have been.
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile
