While many had wondered why Microsoft had said and done so little to promote its new Surface tablet and Windows 8 operating system ahead of the company's dual-launch of the products on Oct. 26, it looks like Microsoft is finally putting its money where its mouth is.

Beginning this weekend, American audiences got their first taste of Microsoft's promotional campaign for its new Windows 8 operating system, along with splashes of the Surface tablet (See video below).

While the ad is only 30 seconds and doesn't exactly spell out just why we should be so excited for Windows 8 or the Surface, it does at least attempt to stoke anticipation and easily introduces the products to the public at large, who, until recently, likely only had little to no knowledge of Microsoft's latest efforts.

How to Pre-Order Windows 8

The ad follows the same strategy Microsoft has applied in its promotional tactics for its products over the last year: Take a bite out of Apple, by copying Apple. Through headspinningly quick cuts, we get the same kind of disorienting wiz-bang-flash introduction to Microsoft's products Apple has implemented to tease consumer interest in its iPods for years. It's even got the clichéd catchy garage-rock song for the soundtrack. Hey, they at least they've always said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

While it's an undeniably slick campaign, it's hard to say if the strategy will pay off. Like the earlier teaser video we saw for the Surface back this summer, the video is all about leaving viewers intrigued, rather than informed. While Microsoft was cribbing Apple's marketing moves, they might have been better served looking at how Samsung's promotion for its Galaxy SIII smartphone has used Apple's own image against them.

There's a lot to be said for positioning your company as the leading alternative to what's easily the most popular technology company on the planet.

According to BGR, Microsoft's media blitz has only just begun. The company has invested in a media blitz worth anywhere between $1.5 billion and $1.8 billion, according to a report in Forbes. Clearly, the company understands the significant importance of its impending product launch.

"The marketing effort is on a scale you don't see outside presidential elections," Enderle Group analyst Rob Enderle told Forbes.

Until now, we'd hardly seen any official promotion for Windows 8, and the only kind of campaigning we'd seen for the Surface was guerilla street-art, which was -- of course -- never confirmed by the company.

The street art can likely be confirmed as a marketing tactic now, though. Similar ads to ones we saw pop up in New York months ago are now bubbling up in cities across the globe, and Microsoft itself has posted a time-lapse video of one of the ads being created.

With all the money invested, and attention to slick marketing, Microsoft is clearly leaving no room for the failure of Windows 8 or its Surface tablets. And really, it can't afford to. Now is the time for the company to strike if it wants to capitalize on Apple's 29 percent loiss of its market share in the tablet market over the last year, and does indeed want to transform, as CEO Steve Ballmer said, into a "devices and services" company over the next five to 10 years.

Microsoft Surface tablet features

The RT sports an HD screen, which various sources have reported is anywhere between 1280 x 800 and 1366x768, while the PRO has a 10.6-inch Clear type Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen with 16:9 widescreen.

That means they are among the biggest tablets in the market. If you are not satisfied with the typical 10.1-inch tablet, you can go for the Surface tablet. Along with the touch keyboards with the device, you can turn the machine to a small notebook.

The Surface tablet comes with five Touch Covers. Different from typical keyboards, the Surface keypads provide a smoother typing experience thanks to their touch-based surface.

The Surface tablets mount both front and rear cameras. The front camera, named life cam by Microsoft, makes the tablet ideal for video chatting through Skype or other services. Using the rear camera, you can capture images and video clips.

Microsoft puts forward better memory options with the Surface tablets. The device comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB options. The 128GB is available only with Surface Pro. Further, you can expand the memory using external memory sticks thanks to microSD card slot. That is, you can store enough data including music, software items and video in external clips.

The 3mm Touch Cover can be connected to your Surface tablet with a single magnetic click, so, now you can type text and send messages quite easily.

The Surface's tablet housing features a revolutionary kickstand. Along with fully functioning keyboard and track-pad, the integrated kickstand helps you place the gadget in both portrait or landscape modes.

According to Bloomberg, Surface will only be able to go online using a short-range Wi-Fi connection. This is a stark contrast to Apple's iPad 3, which has a 3G option, and a faster LTE connection.