Microsoft Launches New Anti-iPad Surface 2 Ad Highlighting Kickstand and Multiple Accounts

[Dave.UK]

Embarissing.

Quite. Who uses a device without a spell checker!

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Apple make premium products. iPad's are personal devices and frankly, if you're a family trying to save money, Android is the right choice for you!

Thats outrageous! I still cant believe some people still reckon "i" devices are for the elite.

Personally iPad,iPhones and iPods remind me of clitorisis - Every c**ts got one.

 

[8281]

I don't think that it's a question of Apple dragging their feet, but the simple reasoning that an iOS device is a personal device.

Enable multiple accounts >> end of personal device. It gets to be a shared device. Multiple photo-libraries, multiple email-accounts, multiple storage-use, multiple Apple-ID's, multiple iCloud backup, etc.

Imagine having to share your iPhone.

This is sort of ridiculous. You are arguing semantics. A laptop could be considered a personal device, but OS X has multiple accounts. I don't see how this would ruin the iPad experience in any way. People can't afford to buy three iPads, and multiple accounts is a great feature for some people.

Real multitasking would also be great. Frankly, it's a little irritating telling myself, "well maybe next year," all the time when Apple won't push itself on big features like multiple app support on the same screen and multiple user accounts. Meanwhile, Android and Windows are doing it right now. IMO, Apple's playing too conservatively on the software front.

 

[Jared231]

Finally, Microsoft and their ad agency are beginning to create ads that will help sell their product.
Dancing twenty-somethings and clicking kickstands? Pointless.
Clear comparisons of Surface’s benefits vs iPad’s shortcomings? Much better.

Now they just have to stop comparing themselves to tablets in general. The Surface is a new product category and they should start selling it based on that.

 

[secDJ]

You lost the point

The ego-masturbating obnoxiousness and pointless condescension is so thick and syrupy, it made my teeth hurt just reading it.

You know, he's right and you're wrong. Apple devices aren't so expensive, only the top 1% can afford them. But they are expensive enough that buying 3 or 4 of them, one for each member of a family, might be pushing the budget a little too hard for your average middle class family.

...and middle class families, by the way, make up the vast, vast majority of Apple's userbase. Don't try to convince yourself that Apple products are only for the select few who can afford them. They're not. You don't sell hundreds of millions of devices across the globe by being exclusive to the upper echelons of society. A little convenience via a bog standard basic feature wouldn't hurt anybody.

I never said Apple is only for the TOP Class people. I just said Apple considers iPad as a personal device... and if you read my post, i am not against multiple accounts, just that i agree with Apple in their approach. Then the guy replied, "because I don't have money"... I was not the one putting money in the line here, and thats was what my answer was all about.

As you said, they have sold millions of iPads, so, you really think they need multiple accounts? They will put multiple account when they need them, because without that feature, they sell more than the rest. Its the same as the iPhone, "they need a bigger screen bla bla bla"... No they don't, at least not right now... Because in one day they sold 10 times what Samsung sold.

So, I am not saying Apple is for the elite... I am just saying they consider the iPad as a personal device, not as a household appliance.

 

[paul55br]

Microsoft, as desperate as you are to play catch up with everyone else (for the last 30 years), you're too late. And you have no class.

 

[Rafterman]

Why are Apple fans so touchy? Remember those Mac-PC ads by Apple a few years ago? Many of those were misleading too. Companies bash each other in ads, that's just what they do. Get over it.

 

[Sandstorm]

I definitely NEED multiple accounts on my iPad. Or at least some sort of guest mode.

I agree that phone is personal and everyone should have their own. But it's whole different story with tablets.

 

[Michael Goff]

Users that go through your tablet remotely because of spamware on your Android is probably not what he was referring to.

Not what I was talking about either.

iOS 7 is inspired by metro design. not saying that squares and semiopaques backgrounds with median-blur filters are 'cool things' brought by microsoft (nothing that you haven't seeing by years in games) but, Apple took the same path, so i think apple isn't cool.

also bill was cool before apple being cool lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AX9IyDmUhs

Yes, Bill and Microsoft used to be cool. Now they're associated with work, and work is rarely cool.

 

[johncrab]

MS just continues to fail to understand that when you run a negative ad, the negativity blows back on your product and message. I guess they don't have enough to highlight about their product so they have to rip into features of the competition in order to feel better about what they've got. Negative ads are passé. They don't work.

 

[EwanMcTeagle]

Problem is they acknowledge Apple as a big threat with all this focus on a competitor. Same with the Scroogled ads and their Google obsession. Obsess about your own products. Like your competitors. Apple killed off the "PC guy" a long time ago now. For a reason.

I completely agree.
I think the „Mac vs PC” ads (if that's what you have in mind) were really funny in most of the cases/episodes. And they were required to get people familiar with the Mac - thus they aired for so long. Apple had to build/rebuild their image and to get people to know their products. Comparing Macs to Windows PC allowed Apple to easily showcase Mac's benefits. With "Mac vs PC" they'd shown people that Macs are better, simpler, more friendly PCs and there's nothing to be afraid of. Cause, let's be honest, people don't like change. My mother was terrified of OSX at first, it didn't feel familiar; even though she didn’t understand 90% of the messages that Windows was throwing at her. But she's gotten used to Mac fast, because it's simply put – simpler and allows her to do same things she did on her Windows PC and she can even modify the settings, preferences and such on her own
And that’s what the "Mac vs PC" ads told customers – they can run all their favorite software (Office on Macs, while not being afraid of viruses, bloatware and Vista Since they were equal (same) products the message was simple: Mac and Windows do the same things, but Mac does them better, easier, faster etc.
In the end: Apple improved their Mac sales and I'm sure those ads helped a bit. After establishing the product, the „Mac vs PC” campaign was needed no more.
Microsoft is doing the same thing - though the ads aren't as good IMHO.
"Mac vs PC" were more sympathetic towards Windows; both were personified + it seemed that Mac really cared about the "poor" PC.
The problem with the Surface and the recent Nokia 2520 ads is that they focus too much on the iPad - i.e. in the Nokia ad you see the Nokia for like 10 seconds. Everybody knows Windows, most people use it or have used – they’re not afraid of Windows, they’re not afraid of getting the Surface - they know what's a tablet, they know what's a laptop. But Microsoft haven’t told them why they should get Surface.
At the same time most people know iPad. They at least know how it looks like and how it operates. And the millions who bought it know its pros and cons by now. But they didn't switch to Surface after it came out. Therefore it's something about the product they don't like or MS didn't communicate it the right way. And now they're being lazy and going the same way that didn’t work the first time around. And that’s just stupid.
Because the Surface isn't a tablet - it's tablet/laptop. So maybe they should explain that to customers (better) and convince them that THEY NEED the Surface and not that THEY DON'T NEED THE iPad. Because, obviously, people tend to need/want the iPad - despite it's shortocmings, no USB port etc.

 

[rhett7660]

I dont understand why we need to have multiple accounts. I have my iPad, my mom has her iPad, and there is an iMac that everybody at the house uses. I don't want my kids using my iPad. If i want them to have one, i would get one for them. Period.

My iPad is my personal device, and I don't want my kids to be running around with it or maybe dropping it. No. They could implement an guest account, maybe, but its not a killer feature.

And again, its very sad how a company had to mention other products to sell theirs. At least they should do as Apple did with the "I am a Mac" campaign. Make funny, maybe that way people would get interested.

I can see having multiple accounts would great, especially for work. Work account and personal account.

I can see space running out rather quickly though especially if you only have the 16 gig version.

Somethings I would personally like to see from iOS.

- Multiple accounts (family members and or business)
- Business and personnel account easily accessible from each screen (I really like how the new BB OS does this.)

 

[phillipduran]

Last time I was shopping for a car, I kept seeing all of the smaller sedan size cars being compared to the Honda Accord.

"Like the Accord"
"More cargo space than the Accord"
"similar to the Accord"
"Better MPG than the Accord"

That made me go look at the Accord.

I bought an Accord.

 

[ctdonath]

I think [ would] rather sell an iPad to every family member unfortunately.

Well, is in the hardware business. Their software & ecosystem exists ONLY to persuade people to buy more hardware. Lack of multiple accounts on "personal" devices persuades more people to buy their own personal device rather than sharing.

In contrast, Microsoft hardware exists to sell software. Multiple accounts on hardware makes it easier to hook users on the software, keeping them in the ecosystem to sell them more software.

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Now they just have to stop comparing themselves to tablets in general. The Surface is a new product category and they should start selling it based on that.

"Featherweight notebooks"?
They're pushing the physical keyboard & kickstand aspect so hard that, yes, they're trying to not compete in the tablet market - they're trying to seduce tablet users back to the UX model which users left for a reason.

 

[narr]

Errmm...

Well, it's really a shame there's no hands-free cooking app supporting motion detection running on the iPad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE77ZYmBdEE&feature=youtu.be

 

[ctdonath]

I can see having multiple accounts would great, especially for work. Work account and personal account.

If addresses this, they'll take a long hard look at what people are trying to solve here, and realize that people don't want multiple accounts, they want to better compartmentalize their activities - and will implement a solution superior to "one person, multiple accounts for multiple uses" and sell more hardware as a result.

The problem with multiple accounts for multiple users is there's just one device among them, creating consternation when they both want it. We live in a world increasingly dominated by multiple devices per user, not the other way 'round: I sit here surrounded by not one computer (broadly defined), but six; hardware is getting cheap enough that there is little reason for one device for multiple people.

 

[appleii.c]

Why are Apple fans so touchy? Remember those Mac-PC ads by Apple a few years ago? Many of those were misleading too. Companies bash each other in ads, that's just what they do. Get over it.

Remember how touchy all the PC fans were when it happened? Fans get touchy, that's just what they do. Get over it.

 

[secDJ]

Humor people, humor

Remember how touchy all the PC fans were when it happened? Fans get touchy, that's just what they do. Get over it.

But those add were funny ads. If an add make u laugh then it worth the competition... But this make looks Microsoft as a desperate company... well they are... did anybody forget Windows 8??? lmaoooo

 

[brianvictor7]

Microsoft’s newest ads are part of a long series of anti-iPad advertisements that have attempted to point out several flaws in Apple’s tablet, including its lack of an integrated kickstand and keyboard, the absence of dedicated productivity software on the tablet its poor multitasking capabilities and its failure to offer expandable storage.

1. The need for multiple logins is a legitimate complaint. I'll toss them that bone. The productivity suite is improving, however and for what most people need it is a solid suite. So they get half a bone there.
2. The lack fo a keyboard and kickstand? If only there were a 3rd party to sell such things at affordable prices! If only Apple's bluetooth keyboards worked with their own products! If only! Okay I wish it had a mouse capability, but here-in highlights Apple's philosophy: a tablet should be a tablet and not a notebook. If you want a notebook, we have a lovely selection of fullly capable Macbook Airs and Pros right over here. And if you don't like that philosophy then you don't have to buy Apple. Simple as that.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I love my iPads (including new Air), but I have to say, the lack of multiple user logins are my #1 complaint about iPads (iOS, but you usually have your own phone), and has been since they came out in 2010.

It's a huge PITA in my family because we have 2 iPads that my wife and I both use, but a lot of the time you have to grab the "wrong" one when you can't find "yours" or one of the batteries is dead or whatever, and then it won't have your email, or Safari bookmarks, or iMessages/FaceTime, it won't be logged into your Game Center account, etc.

I can't imagine how bad it would be if we had kids involved as well. There you might have even bigger issues, like if your kid accidentally deletes your work email, or whatever. And, if you want to use parental restrictions, that then means everyone who uses that iPad has to live with those restrictions, which is not fun.

Apple needs to get on this, it's bad enough they have dragged their feet so long, but now this is a real, significant point of differentiation for MS and Android (I don't know if multi-user logins are built into base Android, but I know some Samsung tablets have it).

Hopefully TouchID sensors in iPads will make this easy for them to implement, and easy for us to use, but I hope they are working hard on that so when the hardware is ready, the software will be too.

Yeah but it also opens you up to thieves and stuff with multiple user accounts and things like that. I'm not really a fan of multi user accounts on iPads and iPhones.

 

[HurryKayne]

These ads are tiring.

Yes but i agree with multiple accounts,it would really useful,
not to mention how good will the chance to have two app side by side in Landscape mode,using the multitasking gesture but instead to switch from one app to another to have middle parking point allowing ,for ex,to drag a photo or a section of text right into the one beside,
i hope to see this happening soon,something ala QUASAR for JB devices i mean.

 

[158273]

It happened with my oldest son. It was in-app purchases that did it. We were hit for $375. It's really easy to buy upgrades, levels, coins, etc.

I don't understand. To buy in-app purchases, you need to input a password. Did he know your password?

 

[AdonisSMU]

True, the last time I remember when Microsoft was cool was back in 1995 when Gates showed off the Doom 95 port...

But let's be honest here: Apple is no longer cool either, and at least in Europe/Germany the teens are already more interested in other brands and products. Trends and hypes wear out after a while, that's the natural course of things.

Seriously, who cares what people in Europe think? When has Europe been relevant in computer hardware? People buy devices for what works for them and never mind what other people think of their device.

 

[Manxman123]

Hands free? My a#s!

Hmm maybe that was banana I saw waving across the screen?

In the new iPad, the pages will turn by shouting, "next". That will be true hands free... err... but not voice free.

Anyhoo, that'll be ipad 2015.

 

[Rossatron]

the first ad certainly was the lesser one but the second one showed a feature that ios really needs.

if i recall many of the early ios (iphone maybe most) showcased a lot of 3rd party apps

iOS does not need multi-user support.

 

[SpinThis!]

Finally, Microsoft and their ad agency are beginning to create ads that will help sell their product.

Not sure about that.

If it's aimed at TV it's going to fail. The average consumer is going to tune out after about 5 seconds. The problem is context. Most consumers are not going to be in the right frame of mind to receive what these ads are saying—regardless how true the content is.

The only demographic I can see this ad working for hardcore geeks watching YouTube. It almost feels like it was made as a product demonstration for an e-commerce website where you're on the product page at Amazon or Best Best or whatever, researching the product. But when you're up against brain dead simple ad spots, you don't stand a chance.

Second, I've always thought if you're going to sell things to the masses the ad should at least be somewhat effective with the sound muted. (Think people in a tavern or anywhere public where there's TV with the sound muted.) Apple's ads have always done that pretty well. Take 1984 or even the newest iPad Air commercial.