But like many products that try to be two things at once, the new Surface Windows 8 Pro does neither as well as those designed for one function.

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Surface RT and Surface Pro headed to new countries starting late March.

ENGADGET: Surface RT coming to six more countries in late March, Pro in the 'coming months'

In that way, the launch of the new iPad seems poised to stave off competition from Microsoft's 128GB Surface Pro tablet, due February 9 in the U.S. and Canada.

CNN: Why you might not need Apple's 128GB iPad

As I pointed out in this post, the available Surface Pro storage space to users is significantly lower than advertised, but this is by no means a new issue.

FORBES: Microsoft Tackles Various Surface Pro Concerns, Hints At Battery-Equipped Cover