I have seen the surface pro 4 and am not compelled by it. That new Samsung windows tablet looks pretty nice though. If they come up with a tablet like the ipad pro that runs a windows 10 then we would have a real winner. Also a keyboard is great and all but the trackpad on those touch covers blows
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New Surface Pro 4 Ad Compares Tablet PC With MacBook Air
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
And even after seeing them ads, still gonna buy the macbook, it's also about the os, i prefer macOS afterall, and that pen, i don't really need it tho~
Cementing their underdog status in the most effective way.
Good hardware, awful software. I just can't not use Mac OS for work!
The same goes for iOS. I've been disappointed with it since iOS 7, but the OS is the least bad one on the market. The latest Chinese phone looks great and has good battery, but still runs Android.
The same goes for iOS. I've been disappointed with it since iOS 7, but the OS is the least bad one on the market. The latest Chinese phone looks great and has good battery, but still runs Android.
Two word "Wrong Comparison", Microsoft should start producing nut crackers in the same form factor as surface pro, i am sure some people will buy them. They can also be re branded as a touch photo frame. That is as far as i can think of how surface pro could be used. And hey dont forget you would also need an antivirus for their photo frame. Microsoft has lost it with this ad. Comparing with apple is a stupid idea, look at Samsung , samsung has been [shi-tt-ing] bricks for the past few quarters.
It makes sense if both devices are tailored for their specific purpose.
I'd honestly rather have an 7.9" iPad Mini and a 14" traditional laptop. That makes more sense than to combine both functions into a 12" device like a Surface Pro 4.
The problem with 2-in-1s is that they usually large for a tablet and small for a laptop. You simply can't have one device that mimics two different physical sizes.
The worst is the larger 2-in-1s that most companies are peddling now. Who the hell wants a 4lb "tablet" ?
Last edited:
The also-rans need to compare themselves with the leaders. Apple did it when the roles were reversed.
We have had a lot of TV advertising for the Surface Pro on UK Tv in recent weeks. The theme has been 'can't do that on my Mac'.
There are some things that the Surface can do that those of us in Apple land can't do but these are in the minority of tasks and very few people would ever want to do things that way. That said, the NYC Theatre set designer advert is neat and eye catching.
It sould be nice to know what software they were using in the Ad or was it just 'paint'?
There are some things that the Surface can do that those of us in Apple land can't do but these are in the minority of tasks and very few people would ever want to do things that way. That said, the NYC Theatre set designer advert is neat and eye catching.
It sould be nice to know what software they were using in the Ad or was it just 'paint'?
I see many of you criticizing the Microsoft ad yet many of you have criticized Apple for letting the entire Mac line rot away. If I was a potential Mac buyer I would have to agree with Microsoft. If anything you guys should be screaming at Apple/Tim Cook, not Microsoft. The entire Mac lineup is stale and who wants to buy old products for premium prices?
As opposed to what? Bolstering it? The whole point of advertising is to convince buyers that your product is better than theirs.
Also Apple never used Charlie Chaplin. That was IBM's ad campain.
As for payback being a bitch, sometimes yes. This ad, not so much. But I do find it interesting that both MS and Apple are marketing tablets against the laptop. Both have it wrong there. A tablet is still just a tablet no matter how much it might pretend to be a laptop. To suggest a tablet can be a laptop is like saying a moped can be a motorcycle.
Are you sure? i don't recall those, and was not able to find any online via web search.
I've used a Surface and I don't recommend it. It runs a full PC OS, but I found myself wishing I was using a proper laptop most of the time, with a better touchpad and keyboard. You can use it like a tablet, but Windows still lacks great tablet apps (even the apps which do exist for Windows are inferior to iOS and Android versions). Sure, you can run lots of regular Windows PC apps, but that goes back to the first point - I feel much more comfortable doing that on a proper laptop, whether it be Windows or Mac. So it felt like I had this compromise device.
Most of the work I do is on a laptop, and this hardware just didn't work for me - I was noticeably less productive than on a full-sized laptop. As for a tablet, I mostly use it for reading, and this thing is noticeably heavier than my favourite tablet. Overall, it just feels like the idea is interesting but the execution results in too many compromises, like the technology isn't ready yet.
If we could have a tablet as thin and light as the iPad, preferably running iOS or Android with all the touch-based apps, which could then switch into desktop mode when you attach a full-sized keyboard and trackpad, then maybe we'd be onto something.
I guess SurfaceBook had that idea, but the tablet is way too heavy and the battery life sucks and still, the big Windows problem, a poor selection of tablet apps (and again, it's not just about numbers - my biggest gripe with Windows tablet/phone is that when apps do exist, they really lag behind in terms of development and features and so on....ironically, the problem which Apple had for years with PC apps).
Most of the work I do is on a laptop, and this hardware just didn't work for me - I was noticeably less productive than on a full-sized laptop. As for a tablet, I mostly use it for reading, and this thing is noticeably heavier than my favourite tablet. Overall, it just feels like the idea is interesting but the execution results in too many compromises, like the technology isn't ready yet.
If we could have a tablet as thin and light as the iPad, preferably running iOS or Android with all the touch-based apps, which could then switch into desktop mode when you attach a full-sized keyboard and trackpad, then maybe we'd be onto something.
I guess SurfaceBook had that idea, but the tablet is way too heavy and the battery life sucks and still, the big Windows problem, a poor selection of tablet apps (and again, it's not just about numbers - my biggest gripe with Windows tablet/phone is that when apps do exist, they really lag behind in terms of development and features and so on....ironically, the problem which Apple had for years with PC apps).
Typical Microsoft Advertisement. Which always includes Apple. Not much to see here, other than what we already know.
Keep calm and wait for refresh?
Everyone complains that Apple takes too long.
And then people complain if they rush.
Im fine with waiting
Everyone complains that Apple takes too long.
And then people complain if they rush.
Im fine with waiting
Except that the issue here is that I may not be having it all in one machine either. I would simply be trading one set of compromises for another.
With two discrete devices, I get the best of both worlds, in that I have the laptop I want, together with the tablet I want, without worrying how one impacts the other. For example, I might want a 15" MacBook Pro and a 7.9” iPad mini. No luck managing this selection with a surface pro, where I am stuck with the same screen size for both. Maybe I don't want a 3:2 tablet because my classroom whiteboard has a 4:3 aspect ratio (which incidentally, the iPad uses). Maybe I like my tablet coming with inbuilt 4g connectivity for the added accessibility. Maybe I prefer iOS for the simplicity. And these may matter more to me than paper specs of the surface pro (like the ability to run desktop apps such as photoshop) which don't apply to me because I am not going to use them anyways.
I believe in getting the right device for the job. For some, that might be the surface pro or the surface book, and that's perfectly fine. For me, I have both a MacBook Air and an iPad Pro, though I am increasingly leaning towards my iPad Pro for getting things done. Yes, there are still some things my iPad can do that send me scrambling for my laptop, but that list of functions get lesser and lesser as time goes by.
Eh, it's all in good fun. Apple did the same thing for years. If you give it, you've got to be able to take it.
You express how good the outdated Macs are but then you say a "likely" refresh is coming. That's the entire problem with the Mac lineup. You want to buy but you can't. And maybe I'm alone but I would be pissed if I spent big money on a outdated computer only to have the replacement come out a few months later with better specs. Just look at the buyers guide here on the site. Click on Mac and it's down right embarrassing. How can anyone here defend that? There have been articles outside of this site bringing attention to this very same issue.
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.
Your approach: You can consolidate everything in to one device by making compromise X and Y.
Apple's approach: We don't need to compromise on X and Y by making these separate, focused devices.
They are different ways of tackling the market, each with their benefits. Apple's devices are fast and easy to use, but can feel a little restrictive and are not cheap. PCs can be flexible, do-it-all machines on commodity hardware, but they're often clunky and difficult to use.
The Surface line has changed things a little, because there is also tight, integrate hardware solution for Windows now. It's not really a significant product in the grand scheme of things, though. Most people I know who have Windows absolutely hate it since the Win7/8/10 redesign and are constantly dismissing prompts to upgrade to 10.
I actually love commercials that poke fun at the competition. I like to think that it helps drive competition and sort of force companies to work on their flaws.
That being said, the premise of this commercial is just that the MacBook doesn't have a touch screen. Yeah, they briefly mention that it's heavier or whatever, but both times the lady tries to compare laptops, she just touches the screen. Therefore the only thing I got from this was: we have a touchscreen, MacBook doesn't.
I liked the Siri iPad Pro one better because they straight up pointed out the flaws of the iPad in a humorous way (without an annoying jingle).
That being said, the premise of this commercial is just that the MacBook doesn't have a touch screen. Yeah, they briefly mention that it's heavier or whatever, but both times the lady tries to compare laptops, she just touches the screen. Therefore the only thing I got from this was: we have a touchscreen, MacBook doesn't.
I liked the Siri iPad Pro one better because they straight up pointed out the flaws of the iPad in a humorous way (without an annoying jingle).