Microsoft unveiled its Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 devices at an event in New York City yesterday. The new tablets look a lot like the original Surface RT and Surface Pro at first glance, but beneath the surface Microsoft has made some significant changes to speed and battery life, as well as to the devices' ability to be used comfortably in the lap. While many have questioned Microsoft's Surface efforts, it's clear that the company is very serious about its future as a "devices and services" company. We got a chance to sit down with Microsoft's Panos Panay, the man in charge of the company's Surface efforts, to talk about the new devices and the Surface's future.

One of the main goals of Microsoft's presentation was to explain why consumers would want to buy into Surface and the company's broader ecosystem. With a focus on creativity and productivity, Panay took to the stage and highlighted the device's ability to process 6K files from a Red Camera, along with a new Surface Music Cover that allows aspiring DJs to mix music. There's a bundling of Skype, Office, and SkyDrive, but the message was about speed and power for the Surface Pro 2, and even to a certain extent the Surface 2. "They had to be faster, they had to have longer battery life," says Panay. "We had to innovate, innovate, innovate."

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