On Monday night, Microsoft announced its own family of branded tablets, Surface, but the company left out important elements such as mobile broadband connections, prices and availability dates.

According to Yankee Group’s new report "Missing Mobility Lurks Beneath Microsoft’s Surface," the two versions of the Surface tablets will support both ARM and Intel processors, and integrate a keyboard, trackpad, stylus and kickstand into its device. The announcement didn’t include specifics in regard to pricing or when it would be available for purchase, however it did say the consumer Surface would be competitive with ARM-based tablets and the business version would be competitive with Ultrabook pricing.

Yankee Group Research VP Carl Howe comments

"Apple introduced the iPad to change consumer computing experiences. Microsoft is appealing to consumers who don't want to change from the PC they know. If Apple’s new iPad is the Telsa sports car of the computing world, a product that delivers speed in style but only on smooth roads, Microsoft's Surface aims to be a well designed, but traditional sports utility vehicle that can haul boats and climb a hill of rocks. It remains to be seen which consumers will choose, but at present, we doubt that consumers will trade sports cars for trucks."