This may hold true in the short term, but not so certain about the integrated approach in the longer term. It's really not just about mobile devices, it's abou

This may hold true in the short term, but not so certain about the integrated approach in the longer term. It's really not just about mobile devices, it's about a new platform which is touch and voice based. Its not hard to envision a future where large screens that you can interact with are all over the place, from cars, retail stores, hospitals, replacing poster ads, etc. by touching or speaking with them. These screens will likely be made in different sizes, to accomodate different needs and locations. It's unlikely, in such a scenario, that Apple is going to be manufacturing screens of all sizes to accomodate everyone. It's more likely that a non-integrated approach such as Microsoft's or Google's (or Apple in the unlikely event they change their mind) will deliver on a large scale. The intention of Surface, if you ask me, is Microsoft's way of staying in the game until the above scenario bears out.