Surface, Microsoft's new tablet computer, is expected to launch this October. However, it is already rumoured to have a shorter battery life than its rival, Apple's iPad, and will be wifi-only at first.

Word on the street is that the tablet will go on sale without any connection to mobile phone networks as a cost-saving move. Bloomberg found two Volish deep throats who confirmed the rumours.

Ben Barjarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies, a US technology consulting firm, told Bloomberg that the decision to launch with a wifi-only model could be to ensure costs are low but Microsoft could restrict how widely the device could be used.

Much will depend on the price, so it is unclear whether this can be seen as a good plan. It had been thought that the tablet would be at the higher end of the market. If it cannot connect to anyone people might not see it as value for money. It is also worth noting that many analysts see a lot of potential for Surface in the enterprise space, but lack of data connectivity could be a serious issue for business users.

Redmond has been quiet about the battery life of the Surface which has lead many to think it must be a lot shorter than the Apple machine. So far there has been no evidence for or against.