Microsoft's Latest Anti-MacBook Ad Focuses on Surface Pro 4's Touchscreen

[MacRumors]

Over the weekend, Microsoft launched a new ad for the Surface Pro 4, continuing its marketing strategy of comparing the tablet computer to Apple's products, this time the 13-inch MacBook Air. The ad is the newest in Microsoft's anti-Apple theme of commercials, previously comparing the iPad Pro with the Surface Pro 4, the MacBook Pro with the Surface Book, and OS X with Windows 10. Just a few weeks ago, the MacBook Air was the focus of another Surface Pro 4 ad.

Simple titled "Get the Surface Pro," the new ad has a focus on the tablet's ability to write and doodle on the screen with the included stylus. Using the same musical accompaniment of the previous MacBook Air comparison spot, the singer in the new ad tells potential customers that "if you try to write on a plain old Mac, the difference can be seen. It doesn't work." Other advantages highlighted in the ad include the detachable keyboard, and the ending tagline states, "Surface does more. Just like you."

Microsoft positions the Surface Pro 4 as a true combination tablet and personal computer, leading to ads comparing it to both an iPad Pro and MacBook. In the previous iPad Pro commercial, Microsoft's personal assistant Cortana let customers, and Siri, know that the iPad lacks an Intel Core i7 processor, full access to Microsoft Office beyond the mobile app versions, a trackpad, and external port options, making Microsoft's tablet more of a computer than Apple's 12.9-inch tablet.

The 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 starts at $899 for 128GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM, and goes up to as much as $1,799 for 256GB of internal storage and 16GB of RAM. Comparatively, the 11-inch MacBook Air starts at $899, with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, increasing to $1099 for 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, while the 13-inch model starts at $999 for 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, and rising to $1199 for 256GB of storage.

Article Link: Microsoft's Latest Anti-MacBook Ad Focuses on Surface Pro 4's Touchscreen

 

[Someone256]

well that's just a bad ad, nothing more.

 

[Sy7ygy]

Golden. Microsoft are the new Apple.

 

[rgeneral]

After using Surface pro 1 to 4, my thought is still the surface requires a solid surface to run effectively. I still go back to the laptop after a while. furthermore, I had so many bad hardware issues that I have given up on it. Lastly, i have gone to other vendors for the same thing. i figure why i am paying MS when i can get the same product with HP/Lenovo etc. anyhow. just IMO.

 

[needfx]

removing the headphone jack might boost sales figures

 

[levitynyc]

Remember when Apple made laptops?

I used to love them before they stopped updating them.

 

[dannys1]

Waiting for the Samsung Note 7 advert...

"I can even start fires with my Note 7, I could never do that with my Mac".

 

[DanTheAppleMan]

That's the most desperate sounding ad I have ever heard.

 

[Rogifan]

Does MR need clicks that bad that every Microsoft Surface ad is a front page story? Microsoft is targeting the Mac with their Surface campaigns. We get it. Why does every new ad require a front page story on this site?

 

[newdeal]

but I don't want to write on the screen, I just want a keyboard and trackpad that aren't terrible

 

[Adamb10]

Here comes the usual "Don't make fun of your competition" comments even though Apple did it with the I'm a Mac and I'm a PC ads and this one is actually truthful.

 

[skipper63]

It is so bad, it hurts!

How come that a company like Microsoft always seems to pick the worst ad agency to do their ads? Does anyone remember that ad to promote private surfing on IE, where this woman was vomiting in the ad?

Steve was right, they just don't have any taste.

 

[Sy7ygy]

Does MR need clicks that bad that every Microsoft Surface ad is a front page story? Microsoft is targeting the Mac with their Surface campaigns. We get it. Why does every new ad require a front page story on this site?

That would be due to not much to report on Apple events!

iPhone 7? Lol
Apple What 2? Lol
Random Pop singer? Lol
Apple? Lol

 

[skipper63]

Here comes the usual "Don't make fun of your competition" comments even though Apple did it with the I'm a Mac and I'm a PC ads and this one is actually truthful.

Apples campaign was funny and witty, I do not see that in any Microsoft ads.They are sometimes plain normals ads, but more often they are just terrible. It is not like they wouldn't have the money to hire the best ad agency there is....

 

[Mr Fusion]

well that's just a bad ad, nothing more.

The only thing worse is Apple's neglected product line. There isn't a single excuse that can justify it. It's pathetic and everyone knows it.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Does MR need clicks that bad that every Microsoft Surface ad is a front page story? Microsoft is targeting the Mac with their Surface campaigns. We get it. Why does every new ad require a front page story on this site?

Because MS keeps doing it. It's not the ads that are of note, it's that MS seems to think the MacBook and Surface 4 demographic is the same demo. But it's not. Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? That's is MS in regards to this MB vs Surface 4 campaign.

It's not why does MR keep posting new ads, it's why does MS keep this silly campain. If MS needs to raise Surface Pro 4 awareness just feature the benefits of the system w/o bringing Macs into the picture. It's not like Macs have some insane marketshare. It's what -- 7% or so? And that's for all Macs, not just MB.

 

[Aluminum213]

Don't worry guys, Apple told us the iPad Pro is just like a PC

 

[patrickrochon]

i7 processor, touch screen, pen support, external ports .... and 3.5 hours of battery life and cpu throttling anyway so you will never get the performance of that i7 ..

I think the keyboard with trackpad is way better than Apple's ipad pro keyboard though

 

[2ilent8cho]

Poor laptop, poor tablet.

 

[daanodinot]

Just one second of hearing that song made me turn it off.

And no, I don't need to draw on a vertical screen, thank you. More ≠ better, a hard concept to grasp for Microsoft apparently.

 

[Zirel]

So Microsoft got a guitar to try to get costumers? How desperate...

 

[2457282]

It's funny to me to see the commercials. They are just terrible. But they also make fun of an outdated laptop because Apple has refused to update their line for too long. Hopefully this works to force Apple to actually update this year. I also note that they aren't doing a comparison to the iPad Pro which can do everything they claim their surface does (sans the port or track pad). Why not compare and compete there..... hmm.....

 

[TXCherokee]

As someone who has owned a Surface Pro 4, and loved a lot about it, the reason I sold it after only 3 months was the constant crashing of the OS (probably once or twice a week on average) and most importantly the advertised battery life is NO WHERE NEAR the actual battery life (8-9 hours vs 2-4 hours, depending on what apps were running).

Nice product, but like most of MS products, half baked with too many compromises.

P.S. The MS pen is a much nicer product than the Apple Pencil and works flawlessly. I hope Apple takes some cues there.

 

[mikefj2004]

Love or Hate MS, that ad was funny and effective.

 

[RamGuy]

I have to admit that the Surface Pro (I don't fancy the Surface "non-Pro") are some really unique and rather nice products. But after owning the Surface Pro 3 for a month, one thing became obvious. It's a "jack of all trades, master of none".

What makes me say this? Well, the whole purpose with the Surface Pro for me was being capable of replacing both my notebook (MacBook Pro) and my tablet (iPad Air) and one thing became blatantly obvious; if you do enjoy the "touch-first" experience of tablet, the Surface Pro will fall way short.

It doesn't really matter if it's a tablet in form, and features a touchscreen etc.. When you have next to none "touch optimised" apps and user experiences to offer. All the "apps" in the Windows Store are plain horrible and lacklustre. The amount of apps offered are really low, and the ones being offered often costs money for no apparent reason and they don't really offer anything. The whole tablet / touch ecosystem is non-existent.

Most Surface Pro users tend to tell me to simply use the "real applications" aka full-blown X86 applications, that's the whole reason for a Surface Pro. But I can't agree with this logic. Using x86 applications when I simply want to use the Surface Pro as a tablet provides a really horrible and unoptimised experience. With UI not designed for touch in mind.


So compared to my iPad Air, the Surface Pro couldn't really deliver the tablet experience I have come to expect.



When it comes to being a notebook it does fare much better. It's a great devices, with great hardware and that shows. But when the tablet experience is so lacklustre, you being to feel and think about why would I want to live with a Surface Pro as primarily a notebook? The keyboard attachment is far from great, it's much better to have a "real" keyboard as the typing experience is much better and with a "real" keyboard you don't need to deal with the kickstand making it really awkward to use the Surface Pro when it's not able to sit on a table. Using it "in your lap" is a mixed experience, and that how I mostly use my notebooks, on my lap.

Not to mention the touchpad/trackpad. It's really small and it performs really bad. It's not even on the level of decent Windows touchpads/trackpads, and even they can't really compared to those of the MacBook's. It just doesn't provide a great user experience having to fiddle with that keyboard attachment.



If only the Surface Pro was able to offer a great tablet experience, then I might have been willing to pay with the fiddlyness that is the keyboard attachment and it's touchpad/trackpad. But when the Surface Pro doesn't really offer anything in terms of a touch-first tablet experience, why should I want to live with it as a rather fiddly notebook?


Once again; Jack of all trades, master of none in my experience.