“On the left, Microsoft has television ads which compares the Surface Pro hybrid tablet PC to Apple’s iPad and MacBook. On the right, Apple has a series of television ads which tell you wonderful things you can do with your iPhone, iPad, and Mac,” Bambi Brannan writes for Mac360. “The two ad campaigns are as different as their respective companies.”
“Microsoft’s television commercials highlighting the benefits of a Surface Pro over an iPad and MacBook Air are visually compelling. The Surface Pro does what the iPad cannot and does what the Mac cannot. Therefore, ipso facto, Surface Pro is better than either an iPad or a MacBook Air,” Brannan writes. “The problem here is typical Microsoft.”
“The comparison is a false comparison. As a tablet, Surface Pro is terrible; too heavy, too expensive, does not have tablet optimized applications, and so on. As a notebook, it’s quite well tricked out, but also expensive,” Brannan writes. “How does Microsoft’s ad campaigns compare to Apple’s recent and entertaining iPhone television commercials featuring Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon? …The differences are obvious. Microsoft is in to making comparisons where comparisons should not exist (apples to oranges), while Apple is in to demonstrating useful functionality in an entertaining and effective way.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft’s Surface Pro is a joke. Apple QC rejects more iPads than Surface Pro’s total production run rate – and that’s only a tiny bit of exaggeration.
Microsoft is a broken company that is still half-running off the previous bozo’s “ideas” because they hired the wrong guy, a Microsoft lifer, Nadella T. Clown, who seems to be unable to apply the brakes and stop Balmer’s runaway flops in their tracks. That’s not the way a badly beaten, horribly dysfunctional company is turned around.
In a properly-run Microsoft (which has never existed, by the way), Surface would have been cancelled long ago, in its development stages; the public would have never seen the Surface. It’d be just another stupid idea rapidly dismissed. Steve Jobs would have instantly eviscerated the hapless soul who had the temerity to waste his time with such a stupid, convoluted concept. Only Microsoft would go all the way through to actually producing the things (three generations so far!) and waste oodles of money trying, and failing, to market their slabs of stupidity.
Save your money, Microsoft. You’re going to need it.
Related article:
Microsoft likely to pull plug on moribund Surface tablet business, sources say – October 9, 2014
Exactly the opposite of what previously occurred… to some degree. When you’re number two, you compare.
Ha ha MDN. Clueless again, as you always will be.
I found a video of you chuck or should we call you chuckles…
I assume that’s your attempt at the intellectual approach. Got some bad news…
I was going to buy a Ferarri but I got the Yugo instead because it came with a kickstand.
I disagree, partially.
The comparison is typically what a distant #2 does to try them to look better than the clear leader. Nothing more than a desperate move by a desperate company.
My son in law has a Surface Pro, his work computer, dictated by his company. He actually likes it, likes it a lot. It replaces a bigger, clunkier Dell laptop. As laptop, for someone who needs to use MS products, it is OK. However, my son in law never uses it as a tablet, for obvious reasons, He has iPads for that.
And as a laptop, it is a bit big and expensive. So I’m not really sure what you disagree with.
I’ll take a MBP, please.
The surface was dictated by IT doofuses. The company had little say in it. If they did, they probably would’ve went for iPad airs.
I receive very positive feedback on the surface Pro 3. With next gen Intel chips (improved battery life, no fan, thinner, lighter) the Surface Pro 4 May turn out to be a winner.
This comes from an owner of three Macs, five iPads, three iPhones and two iPods.
Oh, with each shrinking iteration it has to get better – just like Zune did before it died. Doesn’t mean the whole concept is still-born though – if you don’t get that right, it always ends in tears.
What?
No Mac Pro?
You just don’t qualify as a Mac user if you don’t ad Mac Pro to the list.
Rookie.
So if he likes his Surface, why does he use iPads?
If all I knew was an old Windows PC, I’d be impressed with a brand new Surface too.
If he just uses a Surface Pro as a laptop, then he would be far better if off with an MacBook Air “Ultrabook” knockoff. It would be lighter and have a better keyboard.
MS is a company with too many bosses. Hence, each boss wants his division’s “features” in a product: hence the MicroSwissKnife Zebra tablet.
It’s got finger lickin tablet, pro, mini-laptop, stand and you can even use a stylus and DO EVERYTHING.
Then at the end the advertising department is not asked to present the best ad, but they are told what to do and out come the drones faithfully copying the old playbook.
Microsoft will break up into several public companies.
Me too, mbp anyday.
what I disagree with is the surface pro being a Total waste as a laptop, it does have some followers.
I love how Microsoft touts that the Surface has a USB. Last time i checked my MBA has 2.
I enjoy them comparing the kickstand next to a laptop with a hinge. They serve the same purpose.
Except you have to have something to prop the kickstand on where the hinge just magically holds the screen up.
Perfectly put. One look at the stills in those ads show anyone with half a brain just hoe naff the surface is by comparison to a real laptop.
Excellent point. No using that kickstand in your lap.
Microsoft’s flappy keyboard concept must surely rank as one of their greatest technological achievements of all time.
Apple has struck gold with the Fallon/Timberlake commercials. They are all hilarious.
Once again typical Apple fanboy bullshit
MSFT is already considered junk-grade stock. The only people still holding it are soon-to-be bankrupt patsies.
the surface pro
the Yugo pickup bulldozer sedan ….
Wow, lots of MS bashing here. I guess it’s what I’d expect from a site called daily mac or whatever… what you have to give props to MS is for pushing their OEM’s to produce better stuff. Had it not been for Surface Pro, you wouldn’t see the Yoga 3 or some of the newer hybrids that are new stepping up their game. It’s a win win situation. If Apple is forced to create a better product to keep up with these products, don’t Apple people win as well???? Remember competition is a good thing, its good for the consumer and good for tech advancement. BTW MS stock is approaching all time high near 50.00 a share so I’m pretty sure they aren’t going anywhere at the moment.
More Microsoft bullshit than MS bashing on this page.
“If Apple is forced to create a better product to keep up with these products,”
“forced to create”, “keep up with” — you’re very funny, dannyA.
Not really sure what you mean Sean. Every company including Apple has to look in the rearview mirror to see what is catching up. Look at what happened to MySpace, BlockBuster and Polaroid. Those where huge names that took their foot off the gas pedal. Now there is Facebook, Netflix and GoPro etc. Even MS took their eye off the “mobile ball” and now has to play catch up. You really can’t say there are some Apple products that you’d love to see adopt some Android or MS features. You wouldn’t want a “quick camera button” for your iphone or “live” tiles or standard Wireless Charging? I do…
I think what YOU’RE missing, IT’S THE SOFTWARE STUPID!!!!
just sayin’
Their Market Cap is way below Apple’s-almost $400B below Apple’s. Apple could buy them, They are, in Steve Balmar’s words,” a mere rounding error” compared to Apple’s $675B.
I don’t disagree with the conclusions of the article, but the Justin Timberlake/ Jimmy Fallon commercial mentioned in the article is one of the dumbest, most irritating ads Apple has ever produced imho.
I disagree. Eighty-seven is the new 63. You can lead a horse to thumbtacks but you can’t make it sing any of the solos from Pirates of Penzance (or Oklahoma! for that matter). And think about this:
If the speed of light in a vacuum is 299,792,458 meters/second, what is it in other household appliances?
Apple ran comparison ads versus Microsoft. But when it did, it was when Microsoft was at a weak point. Vista was universally panned and Apple pounced. And it worked a charm.
This time round, Microsoft is comparing the Surface against a product that is at its strongest. The MacBook Air is universally loved and respected. And it sells by the truckload. Pitting the Surface against it is futile.
As the article infers, Apple shows you what you can do with its product. Microsoft needs to do the same.