Microsoft Launches Three New Surface Pro 3 Ads Targeting the MacBook Air

[SarcasticJoe]

So how much inventory are they in danger of having to write off this time? Because these things have not exactly been flying off the shelves no matter how hard Microsoft tries to push them.

I suppose you could say Microsoft has taken on a Java developer-esque strategy here by adopting the mantra of "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again".

 

[whcchief]

Ah... but can it use a mouse?

And no, a touchscreen and a pen will not suffice.

Uhh yeah, the USB slot included.

 

[saintforlife]

At the end of the day, both are excellent machines and most people will be able to accomplish most of their tasks on either machine. You can be productive on both these devices. But I realize this might be a boring answer.

 

[vinnyg]

I actually thought this was a prank ad. Microsoft is just lost in the world of ZUNE. The Mac Book Air is an excellent device and fits it's market well so why bash it, compete with it ! Get innovative which I truly believe many would welcome some innovative competition.

 

[iGeek2014]

At the end of the day, both are excellent machines and most people will be able to accomplish most of their tasks on either machine. You can be productive on both these devices. But I realize this might be a boring answer.

No, it's not a boring answer. It's an honest answer.

Sure, the Surface 3 does certain things a MacBook Air can't... whilst it means I wouldn't buy a 3 it doesn't mean there is someone out there who will.

 

[elvislives]

fishy or not, they do have some points going for them. If it wasn't for windows (OS) itself, I would may give the surface a shot.



while, to be frank, most people don't use their laptop on their lap at all.

err, well I do!

 

[cgc]

fishy or not, they do have some points going for them. If it wasn't for windows (OS) itself, I would may give the surface a shot.



while, to be frank, most people don't use their laptop on their lap at all.

I've seen people install OSX on their Surface Pros. Not sure what kind of experience they get since OSX isn't touch-enabled but no need to stick with Windows. Specs-wise, the Surface 3 Pro is fantastic.

 

[ohbrilliance]

These aren't bad. Microsoft manages to attack Apple's products without being annoying or attacking users like Samsung does.

 

[Michael Scrip]

My whole issue with the Surface Pro 3 is it tries to cram two devices into one. It gets there in theory... with some caveats.

I've heard people say that two devices is a lot of hassle. I can sorta see the reasoning behind that... but...

What if one of those devices in a 15" Macbook Pro Retina... and the other is an iPad Mini?

One of those is a hell of a machine for work... while the other is perfectly suited for lounging on the couch. They both excel at what they're supposed to do.

And then there's the Surface Pro 3... which is a 12" laptop and a 12" tablet.

In my opinion... 12" is kinda small for a laptop... and rather large for a tablet. It seems you can't get the best of both worlds in one package.

Besides... I thought people were leaning more towards 8" tablets nowadays. When did Microsoft get the memo that 12" tablets were a thing?

Microsoft's slogan is: "a tablet that will replace you laptop"

They should change it to: "a laptop with an optional removable keyboard that will replace your laptop... and you're still gonna want an 8" tablet too"

 

[Wiesenlooser]

Come back with a Wacom version

 

[Wordman]

No thanks.

I like the idea of an all-in-one. But it's running Windows. I'm never using that horrible system again.

 

[6836838]

The surface is a brilliant piece of hardware and I like the ads. But iOS wins the game. It's all about software now...

This said, it's not going to be long before the Air touchscreen. Convergence is happening.

 

[elvislives]

Good try but...

1) Try to use a touch screen in the vertical pos for any amount of time without getting arm cramp.

2) Keyboard on the Surface is crap compared to the Air.

3) Pen input Is compared to a Wacom... sucks. 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity vs 256. This is important when using Photoshop!

4) Windows...

 

[yoz-y]

I'm quite jealous of the ability to use pen input in competitors tablets. Not jealous enough to switch to anything other than iOS though, yet.

The biggest problem of the Surface 3 is really how thick and heavy it is. It *could* replace a laptop but it could never ever replace a tablet, not with that size and that OS.

 

[irnchriz]

Windows 8.1 has Microsoft Security Essentials pre-installed out of the box.

No fears there.

The number of times I have seen windows 7 and 8.1 machines infected with Malware because MSE has just sat there and done nothing is increasing. This is a worse situation than having no AV installed as the end user has a false sense of security. Microsoft should ship these with:

DNS filtering
Ad and Flash blocking addons for the web browser.
Standard user mode without admin privileges by default

 

[Sheza]

I think, Microsoft does not know Trackpad. It has a multi-touch surface and you can use pen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV7x84hs0Fs

It's not the same as writing on the screen though, let's face it.

 

[trifid]

I like the idea of an all-in-one. But it's running Windows. I'm never using that horrible system again.

Indeed, it's same old Windows even though it looks pretty and stuff with that superficial Metro layer. And Windows 8 actually has new quirks that make Windows more annoying than usual. Like, system options are now split between old Windows and new Metro.

So for example I wanted to change system language; it wasn't enough with just changing it via Metro. After wasting some time and frustration I finally learnt that to change the login screen language (which is separate from the rest of the system) I had to dig into some hard to find setting in the old Windows control panels.

But wait it gets worse, after this I decided to sell the tablet but I ran into more issues when trying to reset it to factory default. Factory default language was English. But when I reset device, it kept switching to Spanish.

It turns out the 8.1 update for some fun reason, changes the default based on your existing language. So no matter what I did, I couldn't factory reset device as it was.

Fun times

 

[flottenheimer]

Boring.
Spec wars are boring.

My biggest complain over Windows 8 and any tablet that runs it is that what you get are basically two completely different (working and looking) OSes — Windows 8 (a new UI/frontend) and what looks like Windows 7 running underneath. One can't do all that you want. The other is a dated mess not optimized for touch at all. Unfortunately you'll have to use both.
Come on, it is the Frankenstein of OSes.

It would be a piece of cake for Apple to bash Microsoft — hopefully they won't.

 

[andys54]

All it needs now is a decent operation system.

 

[henzpwnapple]

I like these ads for 2 reasons:

1. It points out how Apple changed their mind that multi-touch and pinch zooming is needed (even though there are delays! LOL)

2. It points out, again, that the snap-to-attach feature invented by Apple was a great idea when it first came with the smart cover.

Now, which good feature/idea in these ads were originally invented by Microsoft? the aw-colourful keyboard? or the extra stand stick out at the back? Come on! That's 80s!

Although I always hope to see the MacBook comes with touchscreen, I only want it when it reacts as good as the iPad with great battery life. Otherwise, it is just another piece of junk that will be replaced after every 6 months with "longer" battery life or "0.5mm" slimmer casing.

Again, I love these ads, I really laughed when seeing the delay of the pinching on these surfaces marketed as one of the very few features.. haha, so Windows (or Android).

 

[szw-mapple fan]

I think, Microsoft does not know Trackpad. It has a multi-touch surface and you can use pen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV7x84hs0Fs

Even better (iPen 2):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPUPfh5itRU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s45EwmEuGkQ&list=UU-sJiHKEvvcX8zX7Mo7myfg

 

[daneoni]

Dat lisp tho

 

[alexgowers]

It can replace your laptop, but you just can't use it on top of your lap.

MS still don't realise that the tablet is not a laptop and the laptop is not a tablet. They are different propositions entirely.

You most certainly can't use surface in the configuration show in anything but a desk and it won't work in your lap it's just not.

If MS just built a surface with a normal clamshell and keyboard rather than a flip cover they might actually have a success on their hands, I still just don't understand what they are persisting with this stupid form factor!

The adverts are comparing two different products and I find it odd that they're even comparing the two.

For the software I use a touchscreen wouldn't work, the trackpad on the surface is inadequate for my use case and lack of working on a lap makes it impossible to recommend.

 

[Michael Scrip]

It appears that Microsoft wants you to buy a Surface Pro 3 instead of a 13" Macbook Air.

Why single-out the Macbook Air?

The top 5 PC vendors worldwide are:

Lenovo
HP
Dell
Acer
Asus

I would assume Apple is #6 on that list... but it seems weird that Microsoft is specifically targeting one particular Mac model.

Do people really cross-shop Mac laptops and PC laptop/tablet hybrids?

I thought people weren't into spending over $1000 for a Windows device.

Oh it's got a pen? Cool!

 

[locust76]

Ah... but can it use a mouse?

And no, a touchscreen and a pen will not suffice.

Surface Pro is just a PC in a tablet form. It's got USB and everything. Of course it can use a mouse.