Microsoft Shares Holiday Ad Promoting Surface Go Over Apple's iPad: 'Big Dreams Need a Real Computer'

[Mac 128]

The "desktop" computer is gradually being moved aside (by the general public) and replaced by their phones, it looks like a long slow downhill ride for Microsoft and PC's in general, but they've got to keep trying. Just saw Microsoft is going to abandon their own browser foundation in Edge and use Chromium (Blink) as a base.

It may be a long slow downhill ride for Microsoft and PCs, but then I’d say it’s equally a long, slow, uphill climb for Apple and the iPad.

Not the point being made and you know it. It's about needing more than iOS which is extremely restricting. If you need Windows, (or any full OS for that matter), and have $400 bucks for a new machine, you're NOT going to buy an iPad.

Exactly this ... it’s about the vast majority of the world still running on Windows for business. Any child who is serious about preparing to be competitive in the professional world will be best equipped learning Windows at an early age. Not mac OS, and definitely NOT iOS. And that’s not likely to change for a very long time.

 

[falainber]

Yes, there are real computers and if I need one I would buy a real computer. If I need a tablet I would buy a real tablet. What I wouldn't want to buy is something that pretends to be both and is neither.

Agree. But MS is probably closer to the truth in this PR battle. They are advertising Surface as a real computer (which it is). When Apple is trying to do the same (iPad as a computer replacement) they are dreaming.

 

[Mainsail]

And then you find yourself on the road with a iPad Pro and someone hands you a thumb drive with medical records that need to be transferred. Sure, it’s an edge case, but it points out the crippled mess that is iOS file and storage management. Microsoft is spot-on with this ad campaign.

And then you ask yourself; In 2018, with all of the privacy laws and better technology options, who the heck carries around sensitive medical records with HIPAA information on an easily lost/stolen thumb drive?

 

[I7guy]

I do my fair share of dumbed down computer work. Email, facebook, netflix etc. I do not want to use a surface to do that. Much rather do that on an ipad of any model.
[doublepost=1543939754][/doublepost]

Agree. But MS is probably closer to the truth in this PR battle. They are advertising Surface as a real computer (which it is). When Apple is trying to do the same (iPad as a computer replacement) they are dreaming.

It depends on your use case. People are blinded by this real computer computer, an ipad is a real computer just runs software differently.

Let's be honest the worlds software is (mostly) written for Windows. That doesn't mean ones use case precludes the use of an ipad as the primary computing device.

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

I don’t think many 10 year olds want a Surface tablet or even know what the hell it is.

U r so wrong dude! 2018 not 1999

 

[npmacuser5]

My Truck is a real truck because it can carry more stuff. Done!

 

[dwig]

By W10 , he actually means Win 98. You have to understand some people love to Lie lol

Agreed.

"Windows" was always a problem, largely because it was a kluge running on MS-DOS. "Windows NT", on the other hand, has been extremely stable since the old v3.5 days, far more reliable than the "Macintosh OS" ever was. Since Windows NT v6.1 (aka "Windows 7") and through the current v6.4.x (Win10), NT has been as reliable as the Unix that Apple has been selling for the last 18 years or so as the result of Next stealthly taking over Apple's OS division and simply "skinning" an ever updated version of the Next OS to look very "Mac-like".

 

[mi7chy]

STEM kids use Surface and ChromeOS devices. The rest use iPads.

 

[where is it]

Hillarious advert. Would love to see it run on TV.
Miles more memorable than those whisteling MacBook Air ads being shown at the minute.

 

[Breaking Good]

The truth is, W10 is one of the best, most reliable versions of Windows 10.

I agree with what you wrote above 100%. I was a Windows/Office hater for 30 years and then I realized that I would never get away from it so I should learn as much as I could about it and how it worked. Coincidently I made this decision around the time Microsoft releaseed Windows 10. Now I'm a Microsoft fanboy.

With that said, these ads comparing Surface to iPad are cheap and lame. Microsoft needs to fire whatever ad company they use as they are stupid and lazy.

The operating systems are different and each device has a different purpose. I wouldn't give a six or ten year old a Surface and I wouldn't try to use an iPad as a primary computing device.

Microsoft and its OEM's are making great strides with 2-in-1 devices that will eventually start to cut into Apple's mobile computing market share. But these ads are the result of a marketing exec that has no creativity and needs to be fired ASAP.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Too bad W10 is still an unreliable disaster.

It is too bad. And that it’s a resource hog and control freak. After twenty years of Tablet PCs, PDA’s, Cintiq’s, and a trillion dollars worth of engineering, Microsoft makes the proper hardware and Apple makes the proper software, and neither company can get it together, & we still can’t move forward in tablet computing. It’s an industry-wide failure of epic proportions. But at least Microsoft is trying, while Apple is focused on whittling features off its 1990s product line.

 

[jazz1]

Maybe Windows users are also jealous?

 

[ugahairydawgs]

They're not wrong, sometimes you do need a "real computer". I cannot imagine trying to do my work (software development) on an iPad, that would be real torture.

Sadly the same would be true for a Surface Go.

 

[likwidplastik]

I don't see how anyone can call this a cheap shot. Apple keeps trying to tout the iPad as a replacement for a PC, so a direct comparison is fair game (don't forget about that pretentious "What's a PC?" ad).

Don't get me wrong, the iPad is great at what it does...I've owned several. But Apple really needs to stop pretending that's it's something that its not.

 

[DeiterRahms]

They're not wrong, sometimes you do need a "real computer". I cannot imagine trying to do my work (software development) on an iPad, that would be real torture.

As usual, forum nerds think their needs are representative of everyone.

 

[Mainsail]

Handbags fight! (I have no skin on this debate, as I am a macOS user.)

Anyone that asserts that the iPad is a "real computer" is probably either pre-pubescent or unemployed.
Proof by Example:

1. Can you use an iPad for non-trivial endeavors, like spreadsheet computations and document creation and publishing?
2. What about filing and archiving mixed-type documents under a single project file?
3. Can Cook ("Why would you buy a Personal Computer?") rely solely on the iPad when he plans and extracts maximum profit from our devices?
4. ...

If the answer is "yes" to these, then are you either lying, or unemployed, or pre-pubescent./s
[PS: Yes, my wife and I own a pair of iPad mini4 used when traveling -- we try to match tool to task.]

First, why be so nasty....really? What does it do for you? Does it make you feel better about yourself to be so disparaging?

Second, of course you can build spreadsheets and create documents on an iPad. I have done it numerous times on an inexpensive 2017 iPad. Now, if I had a large spreadsheet project, I wouldn't use an iPad or a Laptop......I would use a Desktop with multiple monitors.....that doesn't mean an iPad or Laptop aren't real computers. But, the truth is most people don't need more power than an iPad for routine computing tasks, including creating documents, sheets and slides.

Also, you can organize and access mixed type documents using an iPad. This can be done using a cloud based file system with an iPad app. It might be different than Mac OS file system, but the files can still be organized and easily accessible by project. Also, you can use Tags in the Files App to rapidly organize across project files.

Finally, why do I care what Cook uses as a computer? People should choose what works best for their particular computing needs. There are things that you can do on an iPad that would be much more difficult on a laptop: taking handwritten notes, drawing diagrams and project sketches, annotating and marking up documents, reading books and manuals, marking up photos, etc... By the same token, there are some tasks that are easier on a laptop or traditional computer. It really depends on an individuals' workflow and requirements.

 

[npmacuser5]

It may be a long slow downhill ride for Microsoft and PCs, but then I’d say it’s equally a long, slow, uphill climb for Apple and the iPad.



Exactly this ... it’s about the vast majority of the world still running on Windows for business. Any child who is serious about preparing to be competitive in the professional world will be best equipped learning Windows at an early age. Not mac OS, and definitely NOT iOS. And that’s not likely to change for a very long time.

I would disagree. The core functions of any computing device vary little. If we get a computer device, example iPhone, into the educational process earlier the better computer prepared the next generation will be. IOS and Android are doing an excellent job bringing the value and computing concepts to younger users far better then any full computer operating system could possible accomplish. The functionality of Numbers vs Excel very little, even on IOS. Great early computer learning tool.

 

[rom3o]

I miss the times when I was using windows and had my weekly pop ups about problem with registry and DLL library missing
[...]And we do not have admin privileges so I cannot change anything.

Given your history of messing up system registries, I think it’s pretty clear why you don’t get admin rights to ‘change’ anything.

 

[jeremiah256]

Thanks grandma, but we returned the Surface Go and got her a ChromeBook. We didn’t feel it was appropriate to give our budding engineer a computer that was constantly downloading games for her to play and periodically asking her to recommend it to her friends.

 

[tomscott1988]

You may not realize how terrifying that sounds. Thumb drive file transfer of my medical records? Does that include the bonus offer of the hidden thumb drive virus software as well?

Btw, Apple has medical records down pat.
[doublepost=1543933118][/doublepost]
More features need more hardware speed improvements. See how that works?

I cant see IOS evolving to the point where it needs faster than top end i7 specs. It will be 5-7 years down the line, by that point the 2018 model probably wont be supported.

 

[gaspitsjesse]

Too bad W10 is still an unreliable disaster.

I must be doing something right, because I've had zero issues with Windows 10 for several years now. Gaming, graphics, music production. Not a single crash. Weird.

 

[DNichter]

You can't see any comparison? One is crappy laptop and a okay tablet. The crappy tablet can run pretty much anything you want and is more efficient at doing actual work.

Apple says the iPad is a computer replacement and Microsoft says that is stupid.

Work tried to switch us to tablets and no field engineer/mechanical engineer with half a brain would use them. Took 3x as long just to order a part. A tablet as a replacement for a computer is a joke unless you just want a tablet.

I would rather take notes on paper instead of using a tablet and doing the work later on a computer In most cases you would save time by waiting and using a real computer.

Not comparable? But this is a ad comparing them and lots of comments on comparing them. And Apple pushing the tablet as a replacement for a computer.

ChromeOs is more of a replacement of a typical computer that is often cheaper and able to get the same results for more people compared to a tablet.

Nope, I don't see much of a comparison. I see the Surface as a pretty typical Windows laptop, and I see the iPad as a evolving tablet platform. Both have some overlapping use cases, but I would say they serve very different customer bases. Some people can use an iPad as their primary work computer (me) and some prefer a typical laptop or desktop environment, whether it be Mac or Windows. Either way, use what works best for the individual and task.

 

[magicschoolbus]

I think the Surface is super cool. I just purchased a 10.5 pro and while its great at what it does - it's limiting. For Apple to say an iPad can replace your computer.. well.. my computer does not limit me.. my iPad does.. therefore, my iPad is not replacing my computer anytime soon.

 

[762999]

How about this one:
BIG DREAMS, SMALL SURFACE.
FOR 10 YEARS OLD WHO WANT TO ENJOY THE WINDOWS EXPERINCE.
I miss the times when I was using windows and had my weekly pop ups about problem with registry and DLL library missing
Ah, Good old days.
I also love the fact that at work we have windows 7 and when I turn the computer, it starts to update without asking me and cannot do “before job” preparation. Sometimes it updates when I am trying to leave. And we do not have admin privileges so I cannot change anything. Lovely experience I recommend to every 10 years old.

In am sure there are many happy windows users, i definitely am not one of them.

so you're blaming the OS for the fact that your admin impose you settings that you don't want?

 

[Neepman]

iPad. 10 years in. 10 times the processing power. 10 times as irritating you can't save a file without using some clunky 3 party app.