New Surface Pro 4 Ad Compares Tablet PC With MacBook Air

[mv9092]

I recently had to upgrade my media center from win 8.1 to win 10 - and let me just say win 10 is horrible. It wants to be 2 OSs and it doesn't do one better than the other.

 

[LordVic]

The Mac vs PC ads showed up Microsofts failings. For example, the virus mess on Windows.

These ads seem to accuse the MacBook Air of failing in areas it doesn't try to compete in. Why don't they compare the surface to the iPad Pro?

That was a different commercial

there's a thread for that one too

 

[wol]

Funny ad..... It's apples to oranges tho. With OS X touch pad gestures, I have yet to wish for a touch screen. I'm sture there will be some anxious smiles when the 2016 MacBook pros arrive in about 3 years.

Well, pinch-to-zoom works very well on the touch pad of my Air - and best of all: it doesn't leave any fingerprints on the screen!

 

[newyorkone]

Apple does have some catching up to do, but this ad, that guy, and his annoying jingle makes me not want to buy a surface...ever.

 

[theLedger]

You typically only mention your competitor in your ad when you're the underdog which.

 

[jedifaka]

How is it innovative?

I've seen devices like this in 2003 -- albeit not as decent looking as the surface pro -- but in the real world the tablet side only has 3 hours.

You keep saying that. Are you confusing the SP 4 (like in the commercial) with the Surface Book? Because the SP 4 is the tablet side. There's no battery in the type cover.

 

[DevNull0]

Comparing a table to a laptop? Don't be ridiculous! Two completely different animals. A fairer comparison would be between Surface Pro 4 and the 12.9" iPad Pro.

There's nothing to compare to with the iPP. iPP doesn't even have a file system, meaningful multitasking or ports. The SP4 is so far beyond the iPP all they can do is go after that MB line.

 

[spinedoc77]

In the same vein, an eagle doesn't make two turkeys for the people who don't want an eagle but instead want two turkeys.

Absolutely, and a giraffe doesn't make three monkeys for the people who, err wait I lost my train of thought.
[doublepost=1472492315][/doublepost]

I've owned 2 surface pros and Id rather just have an iPad (pro) tablet. If I need the power of a full desktop OS, I am gonna use a macbook pro which blows the doors off of a surface, touchscreen or no.

This ad basically just says "this surface has a touch screen and pen and your macbook doesnt". Might as well do a video showing "this macbook can answer calls from your iphone, send and receive text messages and has a universal clipboard between your devices and your surface doesnt - touch that Microsoft...". Its an apples to oranges comparison.

BTW, I used to be a full on windows guy until I tried the Mac ecosystem last year for the first time (mac computer, iphone and an ipad). With features like Continuity (microsoft has nothing like this) and the fact that nobody makes apps for the windows phone, going full apple ecosystem is a no brainier.

The coolest thing Microsoft has is HoloLens and its not gonna be a retail product for a couple years still. Id love to see a "Apple Glass" AR device - that would be the greatest thing ever. Think about walking through an amusement park (like disneyworld or similar) and the Apple Glass showing you an overhead map with all the rides and attractions, giving you your current location while you are walking around... or you are driving and the Apple Glass is showing you directions with an overhead map as you drive - no more looking down at your iPhone or in dash GPS.

I can make phone calls, receive text messages, etc on my surface pro...touched. For me a surface pro blows the doors off a MacBook, but that's because my needs are different than yours, nothing wrong with that.

 

[blackcrayon]

The trend is towards consolidation. Nobody carries a dumb phone plus stand-alone GPS anymore when a smartphone with Google Maps is a superior single device solution. Same reason iPad plus Macbook is obsolete since iPad can only run blown up phone apps and Macbook lacks pen and touch inputs. There's no reason Apple can't make a comparable Surface Pro device running MacOS other than greed with making you buy two turkeys. Apple will eventually give in like reversing its stance on phablet, stylus, etc. but 4 to 5 years behind the competition.

Perhaps when consolidation has no more compromises, they will change. There's nothing particularly damning about that. Lots of people still carried standalone GPS devices when smartphones first gained GPS. Why? Because it used an extremely large amount of battery life, maps needed to be on-device which took precious storage, and the performance of GPS chips and radios wasn't up to the capability of a standalone device. Once technology advanced however, the smartphone was a clearly superior solution.

When they can make a device as thin and light as an iPad with the same power as a Macbook Pro, perhaps it will be one device. As it is now that isn't possible. So some people would rather have two optimized devices than one somewhere in between. Not sure why that's a source of ill feelings or whining though. I mean there's no reason Microsoft can't give away Windows for free, other than "greed" by your twisted standard...

 

[Jimmy James]

old tech vs new tech... not fair at least.
but yes. it is better

Comparison of current offerings is completely fair. And valid. Apple can choose to update hardware. Or not.

 

[Johnny907]

Can MS make an ad without comparing themselves to Apple?

Because this somehow any different than Apple comparing itself to MS for more than a decade?

 

[fourthtunz]

Careful with questions. You might not like the answer you get.

I'm still rocking my 2011 MBA simply because Apple hasn't delivered anything compelling enough for me to upgrade. Sadly, I would take that SP4 over Apple's current offerings.

Then you'd really be jumping into the fire if you think the SP4 is going to make you happy!
The hardware looks cool but if you've ready any of the reviews on it well
as they say, its the OS stupid(heh not you).
I'm with you on the current mac line up though, I have 2011 models, the MBPro 13" and the mac mini server and they both are great machines, but if I were to upgrade I'd go up the the 2012 models, plenty of horsepower AND upgradeable!
I love macs and APPle but someone at the top made some bad decisions from 2013 to now.
To make computers with 5400rpm drives, old processors and no ram at the prices they're asking AND
to make them non upgradeable...BAD Idea!
How much money did they make from having a 16 gig iPhone vs the bad ju ju they got from It?
These bad decisions are showing up now in the Apples sales and stock price.
So unless they change their course..I'll buy used macs.
Looking forward to the iPhone 7 though!
Peace

 

[rowspaxe]

This ad basically just says "this surface has a touch screen and pen and your macbook doesnt". Might as well do a video showing "this macbook can answer calls from your iphone, send and receive text messages and has a universal clipboard between your devices and your surface doesnt - touch that Microsoft...". Its an apples to oranges comparison.

You have just summarized the innovation curves between the 2 companies in the last 6 years.
"send and receive text messages"! lol

 

[Mac 128]

Perhaps when consolidation has no more compromises, they will change. There's nothing particularly damning about that. Lots of people still carried standalone GPS devices when smartphones first gained GPS. Why? Because it used an extremely large amount of battery life, maps needed to be on-device which took precious storage, and the performance of GPS chips and radios wasn't up to the capability of a standalone device. Once technology advanced however, the smartphone was a clearly superior solution.

When they can make a device as thin and light as an iPad with the same power as a Macbook Pro, perhaps it will be one device. As it is now that isn't possible. So some people would rather have two optimized devices than one somewhere in between. Not sure why that's a source of ill feelings or whining though. I mean there's no reason Microsoft can't give away Windows for free, other than "greed" by your twisted standard...

Except for Windows, which doesn't interest me at all, I'd say the Surface is a pretty decent solution.

I'd love a MacBook product which was essentially the bottom half of a MacBook with the upper half being a hybrid iPad. When docked, it becomes the display for the MB, when removed, it becomes a functioning iPad. When removed the MB can still be used with AirPlay as a functioning Mac. When docked, the MB could have direct access to the iPad storage for accessing files in a hierarchical manner, another plus for transferring media between Mac and iOS.

Touch OSX would be great sometimes, but definitely not essential, and in some cases possibly problematic for software not designed for it. But with the Apple Pencil, definitely much more practical than before that becomes an option.

But primarily, I'd love the convenience. Carrying one device on a trip rather than two. If Apple sold this, I'd buy it. I'm not saying they need to, just that I would. I'm certainly content to wait until Apple merges Mac OS and iOS, rather than Microsofts compromised solution.

 

[Michael Goff]

Because this somehow any different than Apple comparing itself to MS for more than a decade?

Yes it is. Apple did it because they were the underdog. Microsoft is not the underdog in the PC market.

 

[Prince Hal]

Yeah, sure. Just pay TWICE the price for TWO devices when you can have it all in ONE machine... That only makes sense in Apple land.

$900 laptop
+ $400 iPad
= twice the price of an $899 surface?

Or in real life:
$1,019 refurb 8GB/128GB MBA
+ $200 craigslisted iPad air
= twice the price of a $1,100 8gb/256GB Surface Pro 4 on Amazon?

I'm sure this math makes sense in somebody's land....

 

[maflynn]

old tech vs new tech... not fair at least.
but yes. it is better

Well if Apple got off it's butt and offered us some newer tech, then that would be one thing

 

[SDAVE]

You keep saying that. Are you confusing the SP 4 (like in the commercial) with the Surface Book? Because the SP 4 is the tablet side. There's no battery in the type cover.

Both are the same to me. Even if the battery life is longer on the SP4, it's still a Windows machine, I've used both.

 

[louiew]

The Surface also doesn't know how to sleep and wake properly (Windows 10 bugs)
The real-world battery life is truly terrible
It feels like almost nobody is making Windows apps anymore - everything feels outdated and abandoned
Surface delivers a compromised experience that delivers the worst of both world's in a very overpriced package.

Get yourself a Mac and an iPad and you'll have the very best of both world's. It should be a no-brainer for anyone.

Unlike most of the responders on this forum I own a surface pro 4, with the windows 10 anniversary update. I bought it when they first came out last year. It was the worst computer purchase decision I have ever made. First the hardware is wonderful (in theory). A good, light and portable laptop. I didn't purchase it for a tablet because it is the worst tablet device I have ever used. The problem is windows 10. In the 8 months that I have owned it:
1. Constant graphic errors
2. Bad wifi connections
3.various levels of freezing. I am currently getting partial freezing. The touchpad works but nothing will respond to a click or touch until I reboot.
4. Screen going blank and having to blindly force a reboot.
5. Constant sleep/wake issues.
6. The edge browser constantly going non-responsive.
7. Numerous other crappy issues.

I could start a group "we hate our windows 10 surface pro 4". I bought it because I needed the Visual Studio development environment. Maybe the next update will fix more than it breaks!

 

[spinedoc77]

Perhaps when consolidation has no more compromises, they will change. There's nothing particularly damning about that. Lots of people still carried standalone GPS devices when smartphones first gained GPS. Why? Because it used an extremely large amount of battery life, maps needed to be on-device which took precious storage, and the performance of GPS chips and radios wasn't up to the capability of a standalone device. Once technology advanced however, the smartphone was a clearly superior solution.

When they can make a device as thin and light as an iPad with the same power as a Macbook Pro, perhaps it will be one device. As it is now that isn't possible. So some people would rather have two optimized devices than one somewhere in between. Not sure why that's a source of ill feelings or whining though. I mean there's no reason Microsoft can't give away Windows for free, other than "greed" by your twisted standard...

I agree, there definitely still exists a need for an ipad device, but that need is shrinking day by day. In fact the non pro surface has battery life which isn't that much less than an ipad, it's also pretty much as small and light as one. The ipad and iOS were necessary evils to have computing in something small, light and with good battery life, and I'm thankful for that necessary evil which spurred the market to great things. Great things like the surface and surface pro now that the necessary evil for iOS on a tablet to exist is much lessened. But Apple will probably never make a hybrid device, partially because they make more money selling 2 devices.

 

[SBlue1]

Get yourself a Mac and an iPad and you'll have the very best of both world's. It should be a no-brainer for anyone.

Lol. I have been waiting for an update to my Late 2012 MBP. Its 2016 now! Apples computer lineup is surely a no-brainer nowadays.

 

[iMi]

You have just summarized the innovation curves between the 2 companies in the last 6 years.
"send and receive text messages"! lol

The funny thing... Mac Rumor's got a bug. The message you quoted isn't mine even though it says that I've said that... how weird.

 

[Soccertess]

I disagree. Macbook Air is the current mode and its pricing falls in range with the Surface Pro 4 - at least at the lower end. Macbook Retina starts much higher in terms of price, so the comparison is apt.

Maybe instead of hating on Microsoft we should ask Apple why they have allowed their ultra-portable to become so painfully outdated, no? This ad says more about Apple than it does about Microsoft.

Hey, I'm not hating on Microsoft. I love Nardella! But yes, you are completely right that their ultra-portable has become painfully outdated. I love my macbook air which needs replacing. But I can't bring myself to get an new Air or an underpowered Macbook with only one USB-C port.

 

[Sevendaymelee]

Apple's response to this should be "Yeah... but Windows."

 

[dumastudetto]

Don't make me laugh. In fact, the other day I was at a comic book convention and walked by a booth where a professional artist was actually using a Surface Pro 3 for his work while it was hooked up to an external monitor, showing what he was working on using Manga Studio Pro software ( not even out for iOS and this program is one of the most popular among professional illustrators. I should know. I'm one of them and use it extensively ).

If you're deluded to think Windows is outdated, then why is MS still here? Open your blind eyes. Apple has you brainwashed big time. The Surface is both a desktop and tablet combined, so you don't have to switch between TWO computers.

Apple SCREWED up. They should've gone hybrid.

I think you should reward yourself a cookie just for spotting a Surface Pro out in the wild. They have sold so few that it is incredibly rare you'll see people out and about using them. Maybe there's a Pokemon Go style game I could make where you hunt for surface pros to score points?