When 32GB equals 16GB, you get sued

A California-based lawyer is suing Microsoft for not providing the advertised amount of storage space on its Surface tablet.

Andrew Sokolowski filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court after discovering that his 32GB Surface tablet did not actually allow users to load 32GB worth of content. About half of the tablet's storage is consumed by pre-loaded apps.

"Mr. Sokolowski's lawsuit against Microsoft is about protecting consumers as we head into the holiday shopping season," Sokolowski's attorney, Rhett Francisco, said in a statement. "Microsoft is misrepresenting the storage capacity and capabilities of its Surface tablet, and consumers should know about it."

Francisco said Sokolowski is not asking for damages. "We have only asked that Microsoft correct its unlawful practices by providing consumers with notice of the true characteristics of the Surface tablets and that Microsoft refund profits from sales it obtained as a result of misrepresenting the characteristics of its Surface tablets," he said.