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

[Mrjoedot]

well, I don't see any Microsoft users around me nor anywhere I go

 

[samcraig]

Not just that. What if two users want to have the same content? Most people probably want to share music, photos, contacts, settings, movies, and/or (most importantly) apps between users. And then you have the problem of someone leaving apps running and hogging resources while another user has it. No, too much of a PC solution.

Should be one user account with support for multiple Apple IDs for purchasing stuff (including IAPs). Maybe developer APIs for separate user data in some apps.

Wonderful job at creating a problem that doesn't truly exist anymore or any less than this solves a problem.

I agree - PC's having accounts is important. But I see little difference in having accounts on an iPad. The use case "line" is getting more blurred and blurred every day.

I wish more devices has user accounts. My wife uses apps I don't and vice versa. It would be nice if MY screen showed only the ones I use and hers - only the ones she uses. But maybe this makes more sense on an android device since they have apps drawer AND home screens.

I know I wish my Roku had user accounts for the same reason. We don't watch ALL of the same channels. It would be nice to not have to scroll through her channels to get to mine and I am sure vice-versa.

And if implemented - no one is saying you HAVE to use them. The point is - having them as an OPTION is a good thing. Whether it's on an iPad, a Surface or any other device.

 

[Piggie]

You will probably find that people with less disposable income would not let their kids anywhere near their iPad multiple accounts or not.

So by your logic, people with less money will then buy each family member an iPad ?

Errrr no.

they buy the other family members Android tablets.

So 1 iPad and 3 Android Tablets.

Kerching, thanks very much, and if this scenario happen all over, there is only one inevitable outcome.

 

[huffcw]

I think ipads are great but here's a perfect example of why a surface 2 can be equally as good or better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG1b0yBJHLM

If you can take the time to watch ads, take the time to see what you can really do with this device before wasting your time throwing out useless comments.

Great video on some really standout features of the Surface over the iPad. I love the iPad, but also have a Surface. While the iPad is an exceptional device, I find the Surface to be a more powerful device overall that can accomplish a lot more - and Microsoft continues to make refinements and improvements.

Another thing not mentioned is Miracast support that actually has some advantages over AirPlay in mirroring a Surface 2 display (primarily that it is supported on many devices and can directly connect to the devices so you don't have to be on the same WiFi network).

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This option is available for the ipad! Just go to the store and ask for usb/sd plug!

Doesn't exactly work seamlessly like on a Surface. As an example, you have to transfer files from the SD to the iPad - can't just use it as another drive to directly play files from.

 

[AppleScruff1]

To be fair, these are luxury devices. We lived without them before and can do so again if necessary. If they are that important to you, then yes, one answer is to find a way to earn more money and have fun with it. Best not to take it all too seriously

Quite true. But posting it a dozen times in 2 pages of this thread is a bit much. But I guess I should consider his age and not take it seriously.

 

[Krazy Bill]

Why are Apple fans so touchy?

Because most here are just kiddies and they spend their money based on emotions and feelings. (How that's even possible with an electronic gizmo is beyond me though).

These MS bashing threads crack me up. When page hits slide here at MacRumors you can always depend on one of these to hit the front page.

 

[redscull]

I agree that multi-user would be great.

Although, I don't think it's "simple" but it's certainly not outside of their wheel house. iOS is very single-user based though, how would push notifications work with multi-user? And notification center on the home screen. Is there a sense of logging out? Are notifications and the notification center just not present when the last user has logged out? Are all apps installed for all users? What about media? What happens when you open Control Center from the lock screen and take a picture? What camera roll does it save to? Whose Clock app is opened? Is DND a device setting or user setting?

There are likely hundreds of little nuances like this that need to be considered. And the whole login/logout concept is very desktop oriented. iOS devices are meant to be switched on and ready to go with all of your latest updates waiting for you, or notifying you that something you're interested in has happened. This all becomes very muddled when you introduce multiple users.

Yes, these are all reasons why it is not simple at all, not from a user experience standpoint at least. Most people don't think it through as thoroughly as you just illustrated.

Stock Android supports multiple users, and while it's a feature I do like, it's also annoying. My notification light is always lit up because someone's account always has an unread email or something in it. So I'm always checking to see if it's me, but it's not, so I can't make the light go away. Multi-user effectively ruins any usefulness of notifications, at least the way Google does it.

Having to click a user icon and enter a password, especially when it's a fairly laggy transition on a 2013 Nexus 7, is also tiresome and archaic. Apple's TouchId is truly the only mechanic for multi-user login that would make for a good user experience. So until that's standard across the board on iOS devices, I actually hope Apple does not add multi-user support.

 

[samcraig]

Yes, these are all reasons why it is not simple at all, not from a user experience standpoint at least. Most people don't think it through as thoroughly as you just illustrated.

Stock Android supports multiple users, and while it's a feature I do like, it's also annoying. My notification light is always lit up because someone's account always has an unread email or something in it. So I'm always checking to see if it's me, but it's not, so I can't make the light go away. Multi-user effectively ruins any usefulness of notifications, at least the way Google does it.

Having to click a user icon and enter a password, especially when it's a fairly laggy transition on a 2013 Nexus 7, is also tiresome and archaic. Apple's TouchId is truly the only mechanic for multi-user login that would make for a good user experience. So until that's standard across the board on iOS devices, I actually hope Apple does not add multi-user support.

So the thrust of your argument against multi-user on the nexus is notifications?

Seems like an easy fix. Or something easy enough to get over

 

[Arran]

I really liked the idea of multiple accounts on iOS, but the reality is that shared devices don't get cared for the way personal devices do.

I can see a shared iPad being regularly covered in someone else's "fried chicken" fingerprints, perpetually discharged, dinged, scratched and forever "misplaced" somewhere in the home. And find my iPad doesn't work with a flat battery.

So I'm not so sure now.

 

[kis]

I couldn't care less about those ads - but we received Surface Pro 2 tablets at work a week ago and I gotta say they're pretty awesome. Doesn't change the fact that I'll always prefer watching movies and browsing the web on my iPad, but to get things done, the Surface Pro 2 is hard to beat in this segment. Really good battery life (usually it'll last me two work days, of which I'm typically using it about 4 hours per day), extremely fast, very nice screen. The type cover mine came with is alright but I've seen comparable ones for the iPad. I typically use it as a laptop, only occasionally as a tablet - but it works well for either purpose. The USB 3 port and the SD-card slot really do make a difference and I've got to say that if Apple were to release a pro version of the iPad, those are two things they need to include. Plus it'll have to run full OS X in order to compete - the iPad is too limited in terms of file access in order to be used for more than basic productivity.

 

[deputy_doofy]

I really liked the idea of multiple accounts on iOS, but the reality is that shared devices don't get cared for the way personal devices do.

I can see a shared iPad being regularly covered in someone else's "fried chicken" fingerprints, perpetually discharged, dinged, scratched and forever "misplaced" somewhere in the home. And find my iPad doesn't work with a flat battery.

So I'm not so sure now.

Now see? I hadn't thought of that, which absolutely makes me think I don't want anyone sharing mine now. lol

 

[inlovewithi]

These features are neat - and they should highlight them - but the direct comparison to the iPad is just dumb. Why can't they just highlight the cool features without mentioning anything about the iPad.

If you cut these two adds down to remove anything about an iPad they could show off both of these features within 60 seconds and not remind anyone of their competition....

I think they are trying to highlight the difference to the average person looking for a tablet, rather than trying to impress Apple fans who will not budge no matter what.

You have to think of the average person who doesn't know much about computers and associates the word tablet with iPad.

 

[Max(IT)]

Have you ever played with a surface pro 2? The build quality and materials are top notch, definitely nothing to scoff at. The full desktop OS is just that and has yet to be duplicated by any other tablet with this level of refinement. The fact that iPads can't do true multitasking is a joke in 2013. As a recreational device the iPad is a great device, personally I love it's uses for mobile music production as there are a plethora of good apps at a reasonable price, but for any serious work I feel very confined in the sandbox of no browsable file system, Ram is a real bottleneck on these 64bit devices, and the lack of storage connectivity attached to the device.

The only joke here is the os of Surface: go down one level on any menu and you can see Microsoft in all its "glory"

 

[Renzatic]

The only joke here is the os of Surface: go down one level on any menu and you can see Microsoft in all its "glory"

Yup. Unlike the smooth, streamlined iOS settings menu, it's a terrible, confusing mess no one can navigate without at least 3 years of college.

You know, it wouldn't be so bad if people around here actually used the things they declare crap. You don't have to like everything, but you should at least have some first hand experience with the things you hate beyond "oh I used it for 2.5 seconds and found it terrible", or "I heard from a friend of a friend of a friend that it crashes all the time".

Hell, that's probably too much expect from internet people, though. An informed opinion is a hard thing to come by and all...

 

[BC2009]

Aren't the car analogies getting a little old by now?
....
Let me tell you right now. There's no such thing as a BMW tablet. They're all Hondas. Every single last one. You can convince yourself you're buying a Benz, but you're buying a Honda. Apple tablets are expensive Hondas, MS tablets are midline-expensive, and lower end Android tablets are Civics.

Ironic much?

 

[sbb155]

I couldn't care less about those ads - but we received Surface Pro 2 tablets at work a week ago and I gotta say they're pretty awesome. Doesn't change the fact that I'll always prefer watching movies and browsing the web on my iPad, but to get things done, the Surface Pro 2 is hard to beat in this segment. Really good battery life (usually it'll last me two work days, of which I'm typically using it about 4 hours per day), extremely fast, very nice screen. The type cover mine came with is alright but I've seen comparable ones for the iPad. I typically use it as a laptop, only occasionally as a tablet - but it works well for either purpose. The USB 3 port and the SD-card slot really do make a difference and I've got to say that if Apple were to release a pro version of the iPad, those are two things they need to include. Plus it'll have to run full OS X in order to compete - the iPad is too limited in terms of file access in order to be used for more than basic productivity.

This passage is exactly my experience with a surface pro 2. It is not an ipad replacement. It is a work PC. And for that purpose, it rocks. I love my retina mini also. Different uses,

 

[SlCKB0Y]

Same with the Scroogled ads and their Google obsession. Obsess about your own products.

Wow, I know some pretty hardcore Apple fanboys who were even able to have a chuckle at those ads - I thought they were very well done and just a light hearted poke at their competitor.

The Apple "PC guy" ads were very well done as well, the problem for MS is that their execution is terrible.

Apple killed off the "PC guy" a long time ago now. For a reason.

Probably because you can only take a joke so far and after the tenth ad its getting a bit stale?

 

[Renzatic]

Ironic much?

It's like 10,000 spoons when all I needed was a knife.

 

[Beta Particle]

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.

We have an iPad that mostly resides on the coffee table here. It would be great if my wife and I could have separate accounts set up with our favorite apps, and if there was a guest account so they can just pick it up and use it without requiring a password.

It's never something that gets fought over, and it's not something that gets used enough that we want two of them.

Going one step further than that, something I've wanted for the longest time is a way to put an iPad into "coffee table" mode so that you don't have to unlock the device, and it only has access to whitelisted apps - a guest browser with its own separate bookmarks, an app for music playback in the room, and a curated selection of coffee table books. Seems like a great use for an iPad rather than selling an old one to upgrade.

 

[Z400Racer37]

Yeah, lack of competition is a really good thing

What competition? Their products suck and their software engineering talent is wasted on stupid, half-baked software that runs on crummy hardware that nobody wants. How does that benefit anyone? That company is a massive waste of economic resources.

There's something completely different that these guys don't understand: You don't tell people what is supposedly bad about a competitors product. That doesn't make them want your product. If you want to succeed, you tell them what's good about your product. And even then, you tell them in terms that they understand and that make sense to them.

Here here.

 

[kcmac]

So by your logic, people with less money will then buy each family member an iPad ?

Errrr no.

they buy the other family members Android tablets.

So 1 iPad and 3 Android Tablets.

Kerching, thanks very much, and if this scenario happen all over, there is only one inevitable outcome.

If you own an ipad first, the likelihood of buying an android tablet or multiples to save money I would imagine to be very slim. Especially if your kid used the ipad. And I know part of that to be true in my experience.

 

[fertilized-egg]

Great video on some really standout features of the Surface over the iPad. I love the iPad, but also have a Surface. While the iPad is an exceptional device, I find the Surface to be a more powerful device overall that can accomplish a lot more - and Microsoft continues to make refinements and improvements.

That's the challenge for Microsoft. The calling card of the Surface RT is its ability to be a "productivity" device but currently it lacks software and hardware power to replace traditional laptops. Even the vaunted Office experience is questionable enough I wouldn't risk using the RT version when I can easily have the full version running much faster on a laptop with guaranteed compatibility and features, not to mention more comfortable keyboard and trackpad.

With the iPad is at least a really darned good touch tablet experience with the best ecosystem. With the Surface RT I feel that I'm getting subpar tablet experience and subpar notebook experience. I'm sure there are people who just have to have everything in one device but currently the Surface is too much of a compromise to be a true replacement for either tablet or a laptop. Ironic considering the first slogan for the Surface was "no compromise".

Of course, it's not like Microsoft has a choice. Intel chips still tend to be expensive and Microsoft really wants to use commodity ARM chips to make sure they can offer something price competitive against other ARM tablets. But the first Surface RT failed, hard, and it'll remain to be seen if the second Surface RT can avoid the same fate.

 

[samcraig]

If you own an ipad first, the likelihood of buying an android tablet or multiples to save money I would imagine to be very slim. Especially if your kid used the ipad. And I know part of that to be true in my experience.

Your experience. I had (have) an iPad and I just bought a 7" Nexus 2013 model - love it. Hardly pick up my iPad anymore.

Oh - I didn't buy it to save money though.

 

[numlock]

iOS does not need multi-user support.

now is it worse to have it and not use it or not have it and want to use it?

 

[samcraig]

Probably because you can only take a joke so far and after the tenth ad its getting a bit stale?

10th? They ran 66 Mac vs PC ads during their campaign.

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now is it worse to have it and not use it or not have it and want to use it?

My point exactly. Same response I gave when I stated that the iPad should have a camera (either front or back) when the iPad 1 came out. People internet screamed at me for being ridiculous - that the iPad didn't need a camera. It would be too awkward to hold and use a camera. Why would you need a camera on an iPad?!

I knew there were a lot of applications. And my point of argument was always - if you don't want to use it - don't use it. But it's silly to argue against something just because YOU won't use it. Better it's included and give a choice.