John Gruber on Daringfireball has just published an excellent post going through his arguments as to why Microsoft has launched the Surface.

He concludes:

Microsoft Surface is not fundamentally about Microsoft needing to control the entire integrated product in order to compete with the iPad on design. It’s about Microsoft needing to sell the whole thing to sustain its current profitability.

Digital Possibilities came to the same conclusion. Gruber also forecasts that:

If I’m right, it’s inevitable now that Microsoft will acquire Nokia.

Yep.