Missed the point of my comment. Most photographers don't want to be putting their grubby fingers on their laptop screen which is what was shown on the advert. The surface pen is irrelevant to that, whether it is a winner or not in your opinion.
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Microsoft's Surface Book Ads Borrow Music From Apple to Focus on Things a Mac 'Just Can’t Do'
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Missed the point of my comment. Most photographers don't want to be putting their grubby fingers on their laptop screen which is what was shown on the advert. The surface pen is irrelevant to that, whether it is a winner or not in your opinion.
This isn't an ad targeting Apple users, hoping they will switch. It's an ad targeting Wintel users, hoping to keep them from defecting either to Macbook Pros or iPads. IMO, here is their strategy, which is quite clever:
If they directly compared a Surface to an iPad or a Wintel laptop to a Macbook Pro, things wouldn't go so well. I've seen this first hand at my college computer store where they actually have Macs and Wintels side by side. So Microsoft is absolutely NOT doing that - instead they're comparing their tablet platform to the Macbook Pro. IMO, this does a number of key things at once:
(1) By comparing the Surface Pro to a laptop, they are sending the message that it's not a tablet - it's a computer. In fact, that Windows 10 and the Surface are THE modern Wintel platform. So Wintel users should feel comfortable upgrading to a tablet OS. (And a device that Microsoft makes directly and can control.)
(2) Assuring Wintel users do that, once they are using a Surface Pro, they have something that's pretty competitive with a Macbook Pro, so they can feel good about themselves and not worry that Macs might be better. In fact, even artist types use Surface Pros, so they can feel cool about their platform.
(3) Assuming Wintel users DO upgrade to Windows 10/Surface (and Windows 10 is currently critically low in market share, which hurts their App store), then arguably these people no longer would need to buy an iPad, since the Surface could be used as a tablet.
To summarize, IMO, this new ad campaign is to (1) move Wintel users to the Windows 10 platform, and (2) to make them not feel like they should jump to Macs and iPads. Windows 10 is different enough IMO to lead to a bunch of defectors. As an example, I defected from Windows after 12 years as a professional Windows developer because I simply could not stomach Vista, so since XP was deprecated, I shopped around for my next OS. Not saying Windows 10 is that bad, but it's a very large change.
If they directly compared a Surface to an iPad or a Wintel laptop to a Macbook Pro, things wouldn't go so well. I've seen this first hand at my college computer store where they actually have Macs and Wintels side by side. So Microsoft is absolutely NOT doing that - instead they're comparing their tablet platform to the Macbook Pro. IMO, this does a number of key things at once:
(1) By comparing the Surface Pro to a laptop, they are sending the message that it's not a tablet - it's a computer. In fact, that Windows 10 and the Surface are THE modern Wintel platform. So Wintel users should feel comfortable upgrading to a tablet OS. (And a device that Microsoft makes directly and can control.)
(2) Assuring Wintel users do that, once they are using a Surface Pro, they have something that's pretty competitive with a Macbook Pro, so they can feel good about themselves and not worry that Macs might be better. In fact, even artist types use Surface Pros, so they can feel cool about their platform.
(3) Assuming Wintel users DO upgrade to Windows 10/Surface (and Windows 10 is currently critically low in market share, which hurts their App store), then arguably these people no longer would need to buy an iPad, since the Surface could be used as a tablet.
To summarize, IMO, this new ad campaign is to (1) move Wintel users to the Windows 10 platform, and (2) to make them not feel like they should jump to Macs and iPads. Windows 10 is different enough IMO to lead to a bunch of defectors. As an example, I defected from Windows after 12 years as a professional Windows developer because I simply could not stomach Vista, so since XP was deprecated, I shopped around for my next OS. Not saying Windows 10 is that bad, but it's a very large change.
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A working trackpad has to be one of the most under-appreciated devices in the Windows world. Any time I've mentioned that I like my trackpad to a mainly Windows user, they always say that the trackpad doesn't matter and they would use a mouse anyways. I think it's just because they haven't used a working one. My work-assigned Dell went from working to not working to only being able to click in the designated clicking area to working but not being able to click, etc. If that was my only experience, then I would agree that they don't matter. XD
My point is that MS is touting the touch input, not in tablet mode, but in traditional laptop use cases. And that is them trying to sell something that makes zero sense. The whole touch screen input on laptops and desktops is just a spec they created because they had nothing else new to push and wanted to be viewed as leading Apple on something...anything. The problem is, they created something that doesn't make sense, isn't comfortable to do or even possible if you're working for hours on end, such as what people who actually have jobs and have to work for a living do.
If MS would sell touch screen input as a body building exercise, I'd give them some credit, because to hold your arms and hands up to the screen to interact takes significant muscle power and it actually slows down your ability to get work done.
I agree with everything except bolded:
Windows 10 has now been installed on over 200,000,000 computers. Or approximately 8% of the current OS installation base. This puts Windows 10 larger already than both OSx and "Other" combined.
Windows 10 is competing with Windows 7 and 8. These are the current people they're trying to convince to move. And through time, it will happen. Windows usage tends to migrate slowly between versions. This is driven by corporate / Enterprise who are notoriously fickle about upgrading.
This. Companies are TERRIFIED of moving beyond Windows 7. Not because 10 is bad per se, but almost no one knows how to navigate it in the business world. I can't tell you how many people I assist each day who tell me they haven't bought a new personal laptop in years because pretty much everyone is confused/scared of the UI changes in 8 and above.
I still have clients running windows XP. Finance industry is notoriously bad for moving foreward with tech. "It works, don't replace it" is the moto.
Forgive me, but you seem to not understand how advertising works. That seeming lack of understanding coupled with an over analysis of the ad's content makes you appear to be a bit out of touch. This ad is about sizzle, not steak. It's also a comparison ad. The goal is to show what your product can do but your competitor's can't. My PC can do what your PC can't. It accomplishes that.
Bolded from your quote: I think it makes no sense to you because you've painted your argument into a corner to support your narrative. Someone could wrongly use your argument against the iPad Pro and it would still not hold water. Most people use their tools in the most appropriate manner. Why would anyone use the SB in the manner you described? Wouldn't they just detach it an use it in a comfortable manner? Just because a hammer has a claw doesn't mean you'd try to hit a nail with it. As with the iPad Pro, when you want keyboard input you use the keyboard. When you want touch/stylus input, you hold the pad and use it appropriately instead of the method you described.
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Telling part of the story is a bit disingenuous don't you think. Ads aren't the be all, end all for using a product. To only focus on touching the screen as a basis for an argument makes no sense. The fact the ads show use of touch and pen input really makes the argument less compelling. Choice. For those photographers with an aversion to touching the screen, there's no reason they have to do so. It's not requisite for SB use. For those who don't mind, the ability is there.
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the tablet doesn't have to run desktop apps... tablet should run its tablet apps... much like iPad does.
Eh, no.
I think you missed the part where this was a commercial about the Surface Book, not the Surface Pro. So it's a laptop - Surface Book v. MacBook Pro - comparison. Which kind of voids the rest of your analysis.
Whether you'd want it to is a matter of preference. Your preference.
I think you missed the part where this was a commercial about the Surface Book, not the Surface Pro. So it's a laptop - Surface Book v. MacBook Pro - comparison. Which kind of voids the rest of your analysis.
[doublepost=1457715204][/doublepost]You've misunderstood. I didn't say the iPad Pro should (or shouldn't) run desktop apps. But I replied to a post asserting the iPad could do everything a laptop (in this case the Surface Book) could. And it can't.
Whether you'd want it to is a matter of preference. Your preference.
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You seem to not understand that your artificial and arbitrary division of apps into desktop and tablets and then claiming that iPad can't run desktop apps seeming like a shortcoming is actually wrong.
Put it other way, saying that Surface can't run iPad apps so Surface is surely lacking compared to iPad would seem a bit strange. But its equally strange saying that because iPad can't run desktop apps it is somehow lacking. It doesn't matter which apps they can or can't run, putting in other words, running a desktop Photoshop means nothing, because the end results of the operation - image editing - can be on iPad using different apps. And same result can be done on Surface using different apps. There is no inherent advantage of running particular desktop apps, computing can be done in various ways. For example, an article can be written on Word in Windows and Pages on iPad. It doesn't matter that Windows can't run Pages and iPad can't run Word (but it can). End result and operations are the main thing.
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Following the launch of a few ads focused around the advantages of Windows 10 PCs over Macs, this week Microsoft continued its campaign with new commercials showcasing the Microsoft Surface Book. The ads feature wildlife photographer Tim Flach describing the pros of the Surface Book, pointing out a few things that he "just can't do" on a Mac.
The first video showcases Flach's "initial impressions of the Surface Book," with the photographer commenting on the detail provided by the two-in-one laptop/tablet device. Flach also detaches the top half of the Surface Book to directly edit and manipulate his photographs. He ends the video stating, "I can't do that on my Mac."
The second ad delves deeper into the powers of the Surface Pen and its 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, with Flach comparing the experience he had with Microsoft's device to his time as a painter. Despite the touch-screen similarities the Surface Book shares with the iPad Pro, Microsoft keeps the comparison specifically to Apple's Mac line in each video.
As pointed out by a reader of The Loop, the score for Microsoft's new ads skews close to a Retina MacBook Pro commercial from 2012. Both videos use variants of "Song" by Kidstreet, with Apple's ad playing the "String Version" of the tune and Microsoft's playing the "Reimagined" version.
A third video posted to the company's YouTube channel echoes much of the sentiment of the first two. Microsoft sells the Surface Book starting at $1,499 and goes up all the way to $3,199 thanks to a boosted 1TB flash storage and Intel Core i7 processor. The company first introduced the Surface Book at an event last October, referring to the versatile computing device as "the fastest laptop ever made, anywhere, on any planet."
Article Link: Microsoft's Surface Book Ads Borrow Music From Apple to Focus on Things a Mac 'Just Can't Do'
Things Microsoft can't do - create an original thought - ever.
Worst company in the WORLD. I hate those guys.
Cheers,
Cameron
Good stuff: but you're using words like, "lacking," and "shortcoming." I'm absolutely not. Microsoft's premise (not mine) is that you want desktop apps. You want "full Photoshop," for instance, in a sometimes-tablet form factor. Whether you actually do is your call.
The saddest thing is, Adobe has made a really nice touch friendly UI for Illustrator, so it CAN be done. They just don't.
I often have way more than 10 apps and windows open at a time and I have zero understanding as to why a menu bar in each window would be so good. I think the "not able to overshoot" menu bar and the app switcher in OS X which only shows running apps (and not every single window) saves me more time.
What I meant was that when you undock the tablet part, the base becomes a paperweight, whereas a laptop + tablet give you two separate computers that can be used at the same time (...eg browse the web on the sofa while the laptop is compressing some video, view a reference book on the tablet while working on your laptop etc.) That may or may not be a benefit to you, but its something to factor in.
The ads show fingers for scrolling and pen for digital workflow. I believe most photographers would not consider being able to navigate their screen with fingers (one of the pluses according to the ad) an advantage. The article is about this particular ad hence my comment is relevant and focused as opposed to your arguments.
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Do you not see the irony here?
You said Microsoft, this is for phones. Playing games are you? get over yourself and realize Microsoft is not going anywhere, just like Apple.
Are you being deliberately obtuse? To act as if the only possible interactions with the SB were demonstrated in the ad is... is... there's no cogency to that argument. MS could have easily shown the guy using a keyboard and a mouse as well. The ad was meant to highlight touch and the pen, so that's what was shown. It wasn't shown as an instructional video stating to scroll you must use fingers.
Even if your opinion was an actual fact, what would it matter? Just because a company touts something as an advantage doesn't mean one has to use it. Apple touts 3D Touch and Live Photos as an advantage of the iPhone. Anecdotally, I don't know anyone who actually used either function beyond trying it out.
My arguments actually make sense. Your hyper focus on a singular point -touch- lacks the clarity you think it possesses.
No, I see no irony. Please enlighten.
He's probably being obtuse. At least overly focused.
Anyone who's spent even 2 minutes playing with one in Best Buy would know that you can use the screen or the touchpad for navigation. It's various interfaces change depending on how you're using it. Like if you've got the screen flipped around and folded back, you won't be able to touch the keyboard or the pad, so you'll be using the touchscreen for navigating. Finger scrolling, pinch to zoom, all that good stuff.
And before anyone says that no professional photographer in the world will want to use a touchscreen like that, remember that Wacom makes a mint off that market with their Cintiq lineup.
Apple went smartphone and that is where the computer industry is going. Microsoft is going nowhere, it's mobile OS never reached 5% market share and thus the whole company is sinking fast into insignificance. It's quite simple really, the party moved to another place and Microsoft didn't came along. The game is lost. Surface Book is only the desperate attempt to build a somewhat mobile device based on old PC technology married with touch. But the real challenge to establish a new ARM-based OS with a viable AppStore is unwinnable against free Android. The year Windows 10 was released saw the biggest decline in the PC market ever. If not a new Windows version, what else can bring hope for Microsoft and Nokia?
MS is still poking at Apple in their ads? At this point in time if your advertising relies on "being better than the competition" then your focus is all wrong. They should just focus on being the best hardware and software, not just better than the competition.
I love my iPad pro. I think it appeals to me because I like that iOS is growing into something with each new addition. The whole "desktop scaled down" approach has never appealed to me. I never wanted OS X to be in a smaller package, I wanted iOS to do more.
MS clearly steered away from an iPad comparison because the price on this thing would seem outrageous. However, it seems to behave more like an iPad Pro the way they have highlighted its features. I look forward to trying my brother-in-law's when he gets one. But if history serves as any example, he'll sell it soon after and get yet another Mac product...
I love my iPad pro. I think it appeals to me because I like that iOS is growing into something with each new addition. The whole "desktop scaled down" approach has never appealed to me. I never wanted OS X to be in a smaller package, I wanted iOS to do more.
MS clearly steered away from an iPad comparison because the price on this thing would seem outrageous. However, it seems to behave more like an iPad Pro the way they have highlighted its features. I look forward to trying my brother-in-law's when he gets one. But if history serves as any example, he'll sell it soon after and get yet another Mac product...
Microsoft Azure isn't the kind of platform a developer can't avoid. Android and iOS come with their own cloud computing solutions. And the most important features like mobile payment everyone is doing himself. Without their own OS to push Microsofts Wallet the company won't gain ground in yet another vector of competition.
The reviews are horrible ...
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/wallet/9nblgggzlm1p