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Heltik

macrumors 6502
Jul 16, 2002
254
51
USA
Wait, the ate 900million?!? You mean like almost a Billion?!? Hahahhaa that's just sad....

I suppose the irony is M$ would have been more profitable just completely copying iOS and then *not* paying the damages from the lawsuit in the exact same way Samsung has done :)
 

Four oF NINE

macrumors 68000
Sep 28, 2011
1,931
896
Hell's Kitchen
84.jpg


AND... I'm bringing back the ZUNE!!!!!
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,147
31,204
Isn't that exactly what this advert is doing?

"You should buy a Surface because it has USB ports so you can connect flash drives, has a snap-in keyboard and it comes with an integrated kick-stand."

Don't get me wrong, I think the Surface is a dog of a device, but this advert does try and sell the benefits of it.

A snap on keyboard that's $120. And if people really cared about USB ports would iPad be selling in the 10s of millions?
 

Craiglorocks

macrumors member
Apr 4, 2010
76
0
This campaign reminds me of the old Mac versus PC ad where he is budgeting almost all of the money towards advertising and very little to fixing Vista.

There seems to be this massive disparity between what consumers want and what Microsoft continues to deliver. Advertising will not fix lacking product design and user experience.
 

bushido

Suspended
Mar 26, 2008
8,070
2,755
Germany
i will never understand why i need a keyboard for a tablet. if thats what you are looking for you may as well get an ultrabook and lol at microsoft desperately trying to make the surface RT happen after they had to drop its price and write it down as a loss

i dont even own a usb stick LOL
 

xVeinx

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2006
361
0
California
All-in-all, the Surface RT is a proven flop. Won't be long before Microsoft starts discounting the Surface Pro.

It'll be awhile before they discount the Surface Pro. Those are selling better, and they haven't produced as many compared to the RT version. Maybe right before they introduce the next generation Surface Pro, but not much more...
 

Heltik

macrumors 6502
Jul 16, 2002
254
51
USA
Microsoft is using Siri's voice because Windows 8 doesn't have an alternative..

Seriously, though.. They should instead tell people WHY they should buy a Surface.

If they did that their ad would be:

Siri: "You should buy a Windows tablet because... The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation does a lot of good work in other parts of the world..."
 

wirelessness

macrumors 6502
Jun 20, 2010
431
62
Surface customers should end up feeling duped

If you are an unsuspecting want to be tablet owner and you see this add, wouldn't you feel duped after going to the Microsoft Store and discovering:

1) 32GB Surface tablet really means 16GB available storage
2) The MUST have keyboard costs another $120
3) So the real price comparison turns out to be 16GB iPad $499
4) Actual cost of the Surface is $469

Yes, you would need to pay extra to purchase an iPad keyboard case if needed but at least Apple doesn't dupe you into thinking it's included when it's not.
 

JBCaver

macrumors newbie
Jun 14, 2013
6
0
It's old

These ads are becoming too old. It's too bad, because the iPad is hyper-popular and the Surface, well, the Surface is a failure.

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WHO in the world would pay $120 for a keyboard!?

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Does anybody own a USB stick nowadays?

I do, only for small things. It's a 32GB and I use it, well, for nothing really. iCloud and Dropbox are my "sticks" i guess.
 

HenryDJP

Suspended
Nov 25, 2012
5,084
843
United States
so you hated the "mac vs pc" ads? :rolleyes:

The Mac vs. PC ads weren't exactly negative. They were pointing out the real problems the end user deals with in regards Windows. Anyone (except the ultra smart people on this forum who pretend to never experience issues with their PC :rolleyes:) using a Windows machine full time KNOWS Apple wasn't lying and it was very effective in the switching campaign.
I don't think people were having too much of an issue with the lack of a built-in USB port on the iPad. If so it would be near the same place where the Surface will be soon, sleeping with the fishes. :)
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,147
31,204
WHO in the world would pay $120 for a keyboard!?
Well I remember when Surface was first announced some MS fanboys on cnet, Engadget, etc. referred to their keyboard cover as the real "smart cover". Until a patent surfaced that showed Apple has been looking into other uses for the Smart Cover for several years now. And news surfaced of a cross licensing deal between Apple and Microsoft (which may have included patents related to Smart Cover).
 

GoodWatch

macrumors 6502a
Sep 22, 2007
954
37
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
WHO in the world would pay $120 for a keyboard!?

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Does anybody own a USB stick nowadays?

Really? Is a USB stick all of a sudden something from the stone age because an iPad doesn't sport (a direct) USB port? I have a key shaped USB stick on my keyring that contains copies of all our important documents (encrypted) plus the encryption program in both OS X and Windows format. So yes, there is at least one person that sill uses a USB stick. Are you the same person that keeps asking if people still use a wrist watch? :confused:
 

HenryDJP

Suspended
Nov 25, 2012
5,084
843
United States
This ad is misleading at best, and borders on false advertising.

The surface DOES NOT COME WITH A KEYBOARD. It even says so on the ad in small print, "keyboard sold separately."

Uh, well gee-- if we're talking about things that are sold separately, doesn't the Smart Cover function as a kickstand?

And oh boy! I can get real keyboards for my iPad too!

Excellent find and excellent post! I guess MS doesn't expect anyone to notice the fine print. :)
 

hipnetic

macrumors 65816
Oct 5, 2010
1,266
562
My brother recently picked up a Lenovo Lynx Tablet and was trying to convince me to pick one up to play around with.

As some background...he has always been the Apple guy in the family. I used to be a sworn devotee of IBM Thinkpads because I loved the pointing stick. I was reluctant to ever seriously consider a MacBook because I always hated touchpads, but then I finally got a MacBook Air 13" (2011 model) and the combination of gestures and oversized touchpad allowed me to finally find this usable.

Anyway, back to the Lenovo Lynx. I'm not sure if they're totally dropping it or what, but you can get it from Amazon or Staples for $350. It's a Windows 8 tablet with an Intel Atom CPU and integrated GPU. What's cool about it is that it runs the full-blown version of Windows 8 and the CPU/GPU is *supposedly* capable enough of running most apps (non-hard-core gaming) while not putting out so much heat to require a fan and still offering really good battery life (8 hours or so). For another $100 you can get a snap-on keyboard which can turn it into more of a laptop. Screen is 11" 16:9 1366x768. The two ingredients missing for me are:
1) No wacom-style stylus support.
2) Keyboard has an undersized touchpad instead of the IBM trackpoint that I love.

Alternatively, they sell a Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2 model that has similar specs, but a smaller screen (10"). That one does have the wacom-style stylus, but the keyboard dock is meant for desk usage and doesn't convert the whole thing into a laptop. I had some interest in that when I saw what looked to be a trackpoint, but in fact the trackpoint is what they're calling an "optical" trackpoint which appears to be no real trackpoint at all. But I digress. That one sells for $500 (keyboard an extra $100-120).

I do think the idea of having a tablet that can run full-blown desktop apps is appealing, as is the wacom-style stylus support. But I don't think I'm really a tablet guy in general, as I'm a good touch-typist and use my keyboard constantly. I think I'd be pretty miserable in general if I had to use any non-hard-keyboard tablet, which is why the iPad has never done much for me. My next purchase will probably be the next release of the MacBook Pro 13" Retina, as my main complaint with my 13" Air is that I'd like a little more resolution. But if they gave that a touchscreen that could swivel around a wacom-style stylus support, it would be even better.

I could possibly be compelled to go back to the dark side of Windows with something like the ThinkPad Helix (pricey at $1500) or ThinkPad Twist (too low a screen res @ 1366x768). Those are powered more like a real laptop, but that also means fans and poor battery life.
 

flipnap

macrumors 6502
May 1, 2012
339
0
all this ad said to me is that the surface cant talk to me, it doesnt want to be held, it doesnt tell me what id use a USB port for, and that i have to buy a keyboard for it.

MS blew it when they sat on the courier and didnt move forward.

its simple. they lack vision. and always have.
 

goinskiing

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2008
914
11
Meridian, ID
I'm probably in the minority but I actually like the surface and yes, I'm an Apple fanboy. But it's really the clean interface that draws me in a bit, it's intriguing in once you get it you get it and most the things you want are right there at your fingertips. Honestly Windows 8 and it's tablet equivalent are the first original things Microsoft has done in... uh, probably ever as they've not usually an original idea in their vacuous collective heads and in the past every single thing was a ripoff, mostly from Apple. But their OS is in fact different as opposed to Android and the other as ran blatant iOS ripoffs, for that they seriously deserve some credit... and I can't believe I'm actually typing that but it's true.

This said I've an iPad 1 and a iPad Mini 1 and they connect with my family's Mac eco system exceedingly well, it's not like I'll be running off to buy a Surface any time soon. I'm just saying, these aren't that bad to counter those maybe hating on them instantly for being Microsoft, which is still understandable reaction considering their track record.

It all boils down to the confusing ARM variant of Windows (RT). The surface pro is actually a formidable device and well thought out, instead of a couple HUGE deal breakers: price and battery life. If they can address those 2 things then they will get some market share.
 

JAT

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2001
6,473
124
Mpls, MN
WHO in the world would pay $120 for a keyboard!?

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Does anybody own a USB stick nowadays?

Best keyboards for Win/OSX are easily over $100. And everybody owns USB stick drives. Ex: I use one in my car so I don't have to hook up my phone all the time for music.
 

Lancer

macrumors 68020
Jul 22, 2002
2,217
147
Australia
They are clutching at straws now.

The Surface isn't selling well and that's at that counts.

Art Scholl (a famous aerobatic pilot) always said that when he died, he wanted to die "Full Throttle, pulling back on the stick, with both feet on the dashboard". That is exactly what Microsoft is doing.

Full throttle... both feet on the dashboard... straight down.

Perhaps this is why...

:lol: and lets not forget how he laughed at the iPhone.
 
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