Microsoft Surface v iPad

There's only one question that really matters when a new tablet is launched: is it better than the iPad? Up until now, no single product has been able to muster a genuine challenge.

In a report released recently by market research firm IDC, it was predicted the iPad series of tablets will increase its share of the tablet market to 62.5% this year. That leaves all its many and varied competitors scrabbling around for just one third of the market.

Most of those competitors are currently Android tablets, but Microsoft has now entered the market with a big splash. Its announcement of the new Surface family of tablets sees it going head-to-head with Apple in the tablet market. But can it succeed? We stack Microsoft's Surface up against Apple's latest iPad to see how the two compare.