Microsoft Launches New Surface RT vs. iPad Ad Highlighting iPad Shortcomings

[frisnit]

You know you Scots really do your best to continue the image of cheapskates

It's not about getting things cheap, it's about value. £80 for an extra 16Gb is ridiculous, even more so when another 32Gb above that is the same £80.

Of course if you need the extra space, you'll pay the extra anyway (I did for my iPad). Doesn't give me a warm Apple feeling inside paying for it though, as I feel I'm being ripped off.

 

[Speedy Gonzalez]

OMG this looks so desperate from Microsoft.

 

[Rafterman]

I'm checking the calendar... yep, it's 2013 not 1985.

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Oh, man, I just saw that new movie that just came out, Back to the Future. It was pretty awesome.

😀

 

[notjustjay]

So people don't share documents anywhere without net? Seriously?

Large portions of the US still don't have reliable internet.

And don't forget most of us lose our data access when we're travelling. I can enjoy always-on 3G access all over Canada (except for when I'm in areas without, which as I've already explained above, is actually fairly frequent), but the moment I cross the border into the US, or travel overseas, BAM, I have to disconnect or face exorbitant data roaming charges. Quick, where's the nearest Starbucks?

 

[dec.]

Microsoft is persistent. They don't give up easily. And they certainly have not yet given up on the Surface product line which is a rather young but important product family for them.

I agree that it's important as it seems to be the ideal use for the Metro UI (going by what I've heard, I haven't had to use it yet).

The keyboard is a whole different story. I couldn't believe how it was pushed as "innovative" by Microsoft and media in the keynote/announcement, while there were plenty of keyboards for the iPad out already. I think it's pretty sad that they blatantly lie and think their customers are so stupid that they don't know that there are plenty of keyboards available for the iPad. What thought process do you personally think is behind this part of the ad?

 

[Thunderhawks]

So we are saying that iOS is worse than Android and OSX is worse than Windows. In fact, the best OS for desktops and laptops is Windows and the best OS for smartphones is Android. I think the same might be said for tablets, not sure.

Sales do not determine quality, they are only marginally tied. In a society that did research, you might be right. But that doesn't happen. People watch commercials, look to friends, and that is it.

You bring up points I didn't mention . Don't see how we are getting into an IOS/OS discussion, product quality etc.

I only mentioned that the majority of consumers are good at recognizing Turkeys and duds.
Some justify a dud purchase with a low price or do not admit it's flaws/work around them.

People watch commercials, look to friends, and that is it.

Exactly my point. The iPad commercials are convincing and family and friends did the rest.

No research needed.

My 83 year old mother who does not even go near a computer was using my iPad within minutes and said: That thing is good and I can see myself using it.

She wouldn't be concerned about a keyboard, a USB stick or multi tasking.

The kickstand always makes me laugh anyway🙂

 

[Michael Goff]

And don't forget most of us lose our data access when we're travelling. I can enjoy always-on 3G access all over Canada (except for when I'm in areas without, which as I've already explained above, is actually fairly frequent), but the moment I cross the border into the US, or travel overseas, BAM, I have to disconnect or face exorbitant data roaming charges. Quick, where's the nearest Starbucks?

Oh, that never happens either.

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You bring up points I didn't mention . Don't see how we are getting into an IOS/OS discussion, product quality etc.

I only mentioned that the majority of consumers are good at recognizing Turkeys and duds.
Some justify a dud purchase with a low price or do not admit it's flaws/work around them.

People watch commercials, look to friends, and that is it.

Exactly my point. The iPad commercials are convincing and family and friends did the rest.

No research needed.

My 83 year old mother who does not even go near a computer was using my iPad within minutes and said: That thing is good and I can see myself using it.

She wouldn't be concerned about a keyboard, a USB stick or multi tasking.

The kickstand always makes me laugh anyway🙂

You said that "if it was a good product, it would have sold more" which implies that sales have anything to do with the quality of the product. It doesn't always.

Stop trying to say that good products always sell and bad products are the only ones that sell poorly.

 

[blitzer09x87]

why are they comparing their almost new tablet to a year old tablet, they should wait for the ipad 5 and then make ads comparing their tablet to the ipad 5, and that's when their tablet will completely fail.

 

[Tjosansa]

Did you notice how choppy that videocall was on the Surface?
And when the videocall went from small to big size it lagged. awful!

Apple would never ever allow such a thing on an iDevice.

 

[tmroper]

The commercial has some very funny moments, but I think the funniest part is that MS thinks people want to use spreadsheets on a tablet. MS is like the Little Engine That Could these days, only they're climbing the wrong hill.

 

[Tjosansa]

I want it, I'm just not in a position to purchase one and I'd wait for the 2nd or 3rd gen anyways.

You can forget a theird gen of Surface RT. It wont happened.

 

[GoldenJoe]

Well, there are the alleged rumors about OSX dying after 10.9, and merging it with iOS. In which case, the iPad will morph into that Surface Pro equivalent. But until iOS allows for an accessible file structure (without jailbreaking), it will not replace desktop OS's like OSX IMO.

I just don't see the business case for it. The whole appeal of iOS is its simplicity. For serious work, there are macs of all sizes, all the way down to iPad-size. Besides, an accessible file system and more complex multitasking hasn't helped Android become a viable productivity platform.

 

[tmroper]

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[/COLOR]

Microsoft is persistent. They don't give up easily.

They gave up pretty easily on the Zune. Didn't even bother trying to offer attractive colors to see if that was part of the problem.

 

[notjustjay]

The commercial has some very funny moments, but I think the funniest part is that MS thinks people want to use spreadsheets on a tablet. MS is like the Little Engine That Could these days, only they're climbing the wrong hill.

Well, some people do. Microsoft is obviously catering to those people.

I sat down next to a lady a few weeks ago, she pulled out her iPad, a keyboard-cover case, set it all up in a stand, opened up some kind of Office app, opened up an Excel spreadsheet, and started working away on some number crunching.

Me, I opened Facebook and checked my email. 😛

I think Microsoft still comes from the old-school thinking where people wear business suits and use their device for business. They're catering to people who still think like that, either intentionally to carve out their own section of the market (because Apple and Android tablets pretty much have the "toys" market covered), or because they truly think that this is what people want.

 

[Michael Goff]

They gave up pretty easily on the Zune. Didn't even bother trying to offer attractive colors to see if that was part of the problem.

They gave it 3 years to make them money and it failed.

I'd say 3 years is a good marker.

 

[Zellio]

Because 4:3 is a much more useful size for a tablet. Widescreen is totally useless in portrait mode.

Until you try watching movies of any sort?

 

[crackbookpro]

Microsoft could take a whole different stance in marketing. But, they just don't, and even though one day I may want a Windows tablet... the company makes me cringe with the way the go about things, especially marketing.

It makes me not want to buy a product that I actually thought on my own had utility for me. Please Microsoft... stop bashing Apple.

Respect respect.

You can disrespect disrespect if you want... but don't disrupt & disrespect respect.

You didn't even pioneer the tablet... you are a poser in my mind. And Microsoft, if your company has any marketing strategy... it would be going after Android based tablets through different marketing avenues.

***MICROSOFT... wherever you are!!!***

Please take this into consideration for the next multimillion dollar ad - Highlight your features, along with showcasing your features with functionality... then show how the features have touched upon people in daily settings.

SHOW A SUCCESS STORY from your product instead of bashing the company that pioneered the tablet industry. Steve Ballmer/Microsoft Marketing is telling me he/they are pathetic and have no creativity.

 

[Megadust]

The only comparison they didn't do was the sales comparison.
iPad sales $100,000,000,000,000
Windows tablet sales $1,323

 

[JAT]

It is more in magical iPad land where Apple makes everything better.

The problem with the Surface is that a Win Ultrabook is a far better buy. Every argument you have made is that the iPad is not a laptop. Ok, I thought we settled that years ago. But the Surfaces are also not laptops, and lose in comparison to a nice Ultra.

 

[Michael Goff]

The problem with the Surface is that a Win Ultrabook is a far better buy. Every argument you have made is that the iPad is not a laptop. Ok, I thought we settled that years ago. But the Surfaces are also not laptops, and lose in comparison to a nice Ultra.

Surface RT does lose against Ultrabooks, that's right. But it's more of a competitor to the iPad than an Ultrabook.

 

[richeyty]

Again!?

 

[JAT]

Surface RT does lose against Ultrabooks, that's right. But it's more of a competitor to the iPad than an Ultrabook.

See, that's what most people, and Microsoft, want people to think. They've dropped the price, their commercials show that...but it isn't. (just like commercials implying a Dart is a race car) All the things that the iPad does well, and that have made it popular, are well ahead of the RT. It really is a product they never should have bothered making.

All the RT has is Office bundled. This is opinion, of course, but I just can't see ANYthing else it actually brings to the table. That could be enough, esp with the lower price. Could be useful to bring to meetings where you want to go through documents, and laptops are unwieldy and hard to share. Maybe at $350 it's worth it for that. But that isn't what they are advertising or this thread has been discussing.

The Pro is priced too high, or maybe it should just have stood alone. With no RT undercutting it, the price might feel better.

 

[polaris20]

The problems I see with the Surface RT in particular are:

1. It weighs more.
2. Win8 RT takes up more space
3. And the big one: the app selection, despite getting better, still is terrible compared to both Android and iOS.

I don't mind Win8 (RT or x86), and 8.1 is a big improvement, but the Surface RT still seems largely to be a dead end. The x86 tablets will continue to improve, and offer a lot for people in comparison to the iPad. But I just don't see RT going anywhere, especially when you can get an x86 Win8 tablet for not a lot more.

 

[Liquorpuki]

The problem with the Surface is that a Win Ultrabook is a far better buy. Every argument you have made is that the iPad is not a laptop. Ok, I thought we settled that years ago. But the Surfaces are also not laptops, and lose in comparison to a nice Ultra.

Problem with the Surface is MS marketing. Almost a year later and people still don't know the difference between the Surface RT and the Surface Pro and use them interchangeably

MS should eliminate the RT, market the hell out of the Pro instead, and give the product space a new name because it literally is a new product space. Instead they're marketing the hell out of the RT, ignoring the Pro, and letting people argue about whether the Pro is a tablet or Ultrabook.

 

[Michael Goff]

See, that's what most people, and Microsoft, want people to think. They've dropped the price, their commercials show that...but it isn't. (just like commercials implying a Dart is a race car) All the things that the iPad does well, and that have made it popular, are well ahead of the RT. It really is a product they never should have bothered making.

All the RT has is Office bundled. This is opinion, of course, but I just can't see ANYthing else it actually brings to the table. That could be enough, esp with the lower price. Could be useful to bring to meetings where you want to go through documents, and laptops are unwieldy and hard to share. Maybe at $350 it's worth it for that. But that isn't what they are advertising or this thread has been discussing.

The Pro is priced too high, or maybe it should just have stood alone. With no RT undercutting it, the price might feel better.

It brings better multitasking than the iPad to the table. Also, yes, it was made to compete with the iPad. With almost everyone agreeing it does, as well as the people who made it, it does compete with the iPad. The ads say it does, Microsoft says it does, 99% of people say it does. The idea of it competing with ultrabooks is silly.

It's an ARM device, not on the x86-64 platform.

Would you say the iPad is meant to compete with Ultrabooks?