Today, Microsoft held a major media event in New York City to unveil the next generation of its Surface tablets, the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2. The Surface, which has tablet capabilities similar to an iPad mini but comes with a detachable, snap-on keyboard to convert it into a laptop, has failed to capture users in the way that Apple's tablets have. Earlier this year Microsoft announced that it was writing off $900 million on the first Surface, an enormous loss.

The new Surface certainly has some significant improvements over its predecessor. The battery life has been lengthened by 25 percent, and the tablet features USB 3.0 connections and a 1080p, high-definition display. It runs on Windows RT, a modified version of Windows 8 that is meant specifically for mobile interfaces. The Surface 2 features ARM processors, while the Surface Pro 2 includes higher-performance Intel Haswell CPUs similar to what you would find on a MacBook Air.

In addition to these features, Microsoft is including 200 gigabytes (GB) of cloud storage on its SkyDrive service with every Surface Pro 2 purchase.

But the main problem for Microsoft continues to be its unpopularity and the lack of apps being developed for its newest Windows platforms. Because so many users are on Apple and Google devices now, software makers are focusing their energies on creating quality programs for iOS and Android, leaving Windows users with fewer options. If Microsoft really wants to emerge as a leader in the mobile market, it's going to have to try a lot harder to pull new users away from those other companies.

One reason it has failed to do this is that Apple continues to make such great products. For find out more about the latest Apple MacBook Pro and Air laptops, check out PortableOne today.