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Apr 12, 2001
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To go along with two previously released anti-iPad Windows 8 tablet ads, Microsoft has released a side-by-side comparison of the iPad and various Windows 8 tablets, such as the ASUS VivoTab Smart, the same tablet that was used in the aforementioned ad.

ipadvsvivo.jpg
In the comparison, Microsoft points out the many reasons why the VivoTab is superior, noting its thinner size and lighter weight. Microsoft also includes a diagram of the 9.7-inch iPad next to a 10.1-inch widescreen tablet that looks visibly larger. That image is not to scale, however, as Elliot Temple of Curi.us (via Daring Fireball) details in a blog post.

microsoftcomparison.jpg
Microsoft has drawn a 10.1 inch tablet 36% larger than a 9.7 inch tablet (140x78 pixels vs 102x79). This is so far off you can visually see it's wrong.

The iPad has a screen area of 45.16 square inches, which I double checked with a calculator. The ASUS VivoTab Smart has a screen area of 43.56 square inches. That's right, the ASUS screen is smaller than the iPad's.

The iPad screen is 7.76 by 5.82 inches. The ASUS screen is 8.8 by 4.95 inches. ASUS is larger in one direction but smaller in the other direction, and has 3.55% less area than the iPad, not 36% more as Microsoft depicts.
At the end of the comparison, Microsoft clearly states that the ASUS VivoTab Smart has a "bigger touchscreen" than the iPad:
The ASUS VivoTab Smart is lighter than the iPad, has a bigger touchscreen and more ports, works with more printers, lets you see two apps at once, and runs Microsoft Office and other desktop programs.
As noted by Temple, while the ASUS VivoTab Smart has a larger diagonal screen, its display is smaller overall than the display of the iPad, making Microsoft's above statement clearly false. In previous ads, the first of which was released yesterday, Microsoft also touted the lower cost of the VivoTab along with its ability to run Microsoft Office apps.

Article Link: Microsoft Inaccurately Depicts Windows Tablet as Larger than iPad in New Comparison Ad
 

uttamo

macrumors member
Oct 22, 2011
45
0
Lol what a fail. How desperate do they have to be to resort to outright lying?
 

charlieegan3

macrumors 68020
Feb 16, 2012
2,394
17
U.K
Microsoft's advertising is getting progressively more aggressive and confrontational, not very keen on it at all.
 

komodrone

macrumors 6502
Apr 26, 2011
499
0
Pretty sure all the women reading this wouldn't care that much...size doesn't matter right? RIGHT?!?!
 

VoR

macrumors 6502a
Sep 8, 2008
917
15
UK
If its a blatantly styled side by side comparison in a video/static advert which isn't to scale (which after my 5 second skim of the article and link, it looks like) then that's pretty poor show...
 

Tones2

macrumors 65816
Jan 8, 2009
1,471
0
Yeah, and those PC vs Mac commercials were SO accurate. :rolleyes: :) And I so agree with the post right above me.
 

Lennholm

macrumors 65816
Sep 4, 2010
1,003
210
What goes around comes around...
Remember when Apple used those manipulated images of the Galaxy Tab to make it look more similar to the iPad?
 

Nightarchaon

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2010
1,393
30
Hello Mr Microsoft/Asus/Store OWner, the product i have bought in good faith has been misrepresented in your advertisment and i would like a full refund, and damages for my wasted time, fuel used, and being made to look like an idiot for beliving ANY advertisement/review without first going and trying the device in hand before purchasing .... :rolleyes:

Wonder how bad the Xbox Vs Playstation adverts are going to be at the end of the year ?? :eek:
 

A Hebrew

macrumors 6502a
Jan 7, 2012
846
2
Minnesota
Based off of one direction, the tablet is bigger. They told the truth, just not the whole truth. Apple does it all the time, everyone else does too. Get over it.
 

rmwebs

macrumors 68040
Apr 6, 2007
3,140
0
I'd love to see them try airing an advert with this info in the UK. They'd have the ASA so far up their ass they'd be pooping pixels.

----------

Cue the lawsuits!

Cant happen. MS and Apple have an 'agreement'.
 

Apollo 13

macrumors 6502a
May 29, 2010
679
16
Saw the commercial and something stood out to me. They say the ipad needs a special printer to print. Only printer it needs is a wireless printer which the Windows tablet would also need too.
 

jmoore5196

macrumors 6502a
May 19, 2009
840
338
Russellville AR
Why not lie about size ... they've lied about everything else!

In an ongoing race toward miniaturization, one wonders how being pitched as "larger" is perceived as a benefit.

I carry a MacBook Air when I travel because it's small. I have a compact camera. I'm going to buy an iPad mini. I think the only thing I own which has seen a marked increase in size is my iPhone 5, which is larger than the iPhone 4.

When your only benefit statements focus on size (and a clearly dubious assertion, that!) and cost, your product probably doesn't have much else going for it.
 

2IS

macrumors 68030
Jan 9, 2011
2,938
433
Microsoft is claiming it's larger, which it is. Not that the diagram is to scale. Get over it.

I'd rather see this sort of advertising from everyone than retarded law suits that Apple is so keen on these days. Both Samsung and MS have ads poking fun of Apple, Apple responds with investing in their lawyers instead of their marketing.
 

CapnJackGig

macrumors 6502a
Jul 17, 2011
572
0
All that really matters is that the Windows device is an infinitely better device than the outdated iPad. Time to update that dinosaur of an OS, Apple. Sucks to see Apple's image turn so quickly from hip to old and slow, but they appear to be content with it.
 
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