By all accounts, Microsoft’s new Surface tablet is doing incredibly well. The $499 model has already sold out, and the others are probably not far behind. Let’s look beyond the hype though. Let’s check out how Microsoft went about actually making the device.

On the Surface YouTube channel, Microsoft posted a video that details all the work that went into making the device. The Surface team said that their task was to create something that had not been made before. Part of that was to shrink the desktop experience down to a tablet and a 1mm thin touchpad.

It’s rare to get an inside look at what hardware design teams go through when crafting the latest gadgets. It’s particularly interesting to see the stress tests the team put the outer magnesium casing through to make sure it wouldn’t break. All that testing paid off in the end since Steven Sinofsky was able to successfully turn the Surface into a skateboard.

It’s a little over a week until the Surface launches alongside Windows 8. Until then, expect Microsoft to kick the Surface and Windows 8 ad campaigns into high gear. Both products have already received strange commercials, but they’re probably going to get even stranger. We’re dealing with a brand new Microsoft, and they’re not afraid to get a little weird to sell some hardware.