According to a new Bloomberg report, the much-raved-about Microsoft Surface tablet, which will run the company's next-generation Windows OS, would probably be a Wi-Fi-only device.

The report, citing two unidentified sources `in the know' of the specifications of the Surface tablet, has revealed that the initial devices - which will hit the markets later this year - will come with only a short-range Wi-Fi connection; sans any mobile-handset network connection.

Despite the fact that Microsoft has refrained from officially disclosing any details about the specifications of its Surface tablet, sources have revealed that though the first-generation Surface will be a Wi-Fi-only tablet, it is highly likely that mobile wireless capabilities will be brought aboard the device later on.

According to experts and industry observers, it is still not clear why Microsoft has decided to miss out on wireless connectivity in its tablet device which is being deemed as a potential challenger to the market-dominating Apple iPad.

Going by the Bloomberg report, lack of wireless connectivity in the Microsoft Surface tablet would impede the software company's plans to take on the iPad, which was originally shipped with a 3G option in 2010; and the latest Retina Display-equipped version of the tablet boasts 4G LTE connectivity.