New Surface Pro 4 Ad Compares Tablet PC With MacBook Air

[MH01]

And which of those outdated Macs is still objectively a bad computer to a purchase, price aside?

The SSDs are unrivalled in speed, the OS creams Windows, the support is significantly better, the build quality is unmatched, and the CPUs in the 15" are still more powerful than almost all of the 'new gen' CPUs you commenters are crying for.

And it's likely getting refreshed by the end of the year anyway.

I'd like to know exactly what you could do with a slightly quicker CPU that you can't already do on a 15" rMBP.

Price aside? Really....... Well, price aside a Ferrari is would make a great car to go shopping in....

Hmmmm faster CPU/GPU and TB3 support....what practival work applications could there be??? To be honest if you don't know the answer to that, a rMBP is an overkill for your needs.

 

[Mac 128]

Can MS make an ad without comparing themselves to Apple?

I wouldn't go to far down that path if I were you:

 

[arthography]

And which of those outdated macs is the no-brainer now?

If you're referring to the CPU nothing is really outdated so any Mac that fits your work will do. My 3 years old MBPR handles perfectly everything I throw at it be it programming, multimedia or virtual Windows machines (for legacy software). I just don't see any reason to upgrade yet, unless my work processes would be improved. I certainly don't see any improvement on that side in the Windows camp - boring cheap laptops (even the expensive ones) and half-baked software or worse, stuck vision on software. See, macs don't get slower in time.

 

[1041958]

Funny Microsoft.

On one side making attack ads against Apple promoting the garbage Surface Pro 4 and on the other hand joining Apple on stage at a keynote extolling the virtues of the excellent Office 365 on the iPad Pro with Pencil support.

 

[Rogifan]

I love how people always bring up the Mac vs PC ads even though the last time Apple ran one was 2009.

 

[Jsameds]

I wouldn't go to far down that path if I were you:

Haha wasn't that like a decade ago?

 

[Shlooky]

That was embarrassing.

 

[maflynn]

If you're referring to the CPU nothing is really outdated so any Mac that fits your work will do.

So you think its ok to spend over 2,000 dollars for a 15" MBP that's on a Haswell chipset, when Dell, HP, Asus (and MS) are rolling out models based on the latest and greatest Intel chipset?

 

[radus]

Microsoft is right and that is the reason why I bought a Surface Pro 3 i7 two years ago.

When a Company decides not to be a Computer Company anymore the others take their place very fast and very consequently.

 

[TomMcIn]

The downside is that you still have to run Windows.

 

[MacBergin]

Yeah but you have to use Windows soooo no thanks.

 

[Gasu E.]

Microsoft was founded before Apple in 1975. The latter was founded a year after. So without MS, there would be NO Apple.

Without Microsoft, the Altair 8800 would have been an abysmal failure.

 

[dj23andMe]

And which of those outdated Macs is still objectively a bad computer to a purchase, price aside?

The SSDs are unrivalled in speed, the OS creams Windows, the support is significantly better, the build quality is unmatched, and the CPUs in the 15" are still more powerful than almost all of the 'new gen' CPUs you commenters are crying for.

And it's likely getting refreshed by the end of the year anyway.

I'd like to know exactly what you could do with a slightly quicker CPU that you can't already do on a 15" rMBP.

Battery life, USB-C (support built into cpu), Iris graphics advanced over Haswell era.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I wouldn't go to far down that path if I were you:

Back then... Apple was the underdog against Microsoft and Windows PCs in general. And it's still true today as only 7 out of 100 computers purchased today are made by Apple.

So is Microsoft now admitting that Apple is the real threat? That seems odd.

Wouldn't Lenovo, HP and Dell be more of a threat to Microsoft Surface computers? At least they run Windows.

Also... I love how Microsoft spent 30 seconds telling us that a Macbook Air isn't a tablet.

But they forgot to say that the Surface Pro 4 isn't a Macintosh. 🙂

 

[Kiwikat88]

Is the Surface a tablet, or laptop? Seriously, they don't have a product worthy enough to compare to the iPad, so lets pick on a laptop. It's comparing Apples to oranges...

The surface is a laptop. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise. It is next to useless without the keyboard. I own the SP4 and 12.9 IPP and the iPad is an infinitely better tablet. The Macbook Pro is the superior laptop as well. I'm probably going to try to sell my SP4. I always find myself reaching for one of my Apple products instead.

 

[Soccertess]

...O.K. MS go home you're drunk

While they chose to compare the outdated Macbook air, there ad could have been used against all mac books (except the whole bit about the screen). In my opinion they should have compared a macbook pro, so the ad is disingenuous and scummy.

BUT, it does do all those things, and wtf does Apple have to show for it self, a ipad with keyboard that is missing a file system and no ports? The fact is that Microsoft took a risk and came out with an innovative design, and Apple isn't taking ANY risks anymore. Tim is boring, risk adverse, and moving apple at a snails pace.

So in some regard I have to say, Microsoft - my hat is off to Nardella. The man is recovering microsoft from the disaster that Baller left. I HOPE someone can recover Apple from the disaster that Tim has made.

Call out Apple for being lame, it's the only way things can change.

 

[akadafni]

Microsoft today launched a new commercial for its Surface Pro 4, directly comparing the tablet computer to Apple's MacBook Air.

The ad, titled "Surface Pro 4 is the one for me", was posted on YouTube and features a woman trying out some of the features of the Surface Pro 4 and then attempting to replicate the functionality on a MacBook Air, to no avail. All the while, a melody man plays a musical keyboard and quirkily sings the praises of Microsoft's PC offering against the Apple machine, which he calls "less useful, like a hat for your cat".

The lighthearted ad plays upon the Surface Pro 4's signature features like the detachable keyboard, pen, and touchscreen, as well as the machine's relative lightness compared to the MacBook Air, which is "slower, heavier, and a bit square," sings the keyboard player. The ad ends with the tagline: "Surface does more. Just like you."

The commercial follows a similar anti-Apple theme adopted by Microsoft in recent ads, which have previously compared the iPad Pro with the Surface Pro 4, the Surface Book with the MacBook Pro, and Windows 10 with OS X.

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: New Surface Pro 4 Ad Compares Tablet PC With MacBook Air

Everyone mentions Apple in their ads. They have to find a way to stay relevant

 

[iMi]

It's almost like they were paid to say those things. /s

I'd like to see a genuine, real life take on it.

"Madam, would you like this surface, or this macbook? Totally free, pick one"

I'll be happy to offer you one. The Surface Pro 4 is the first Windows device I've purchased since early 2000's. It's simply fantastic with only one flaw - battery life. Otherwise, this is now by far my favorite device.

 

[Michael Scrip]

While they chose to compare the outdated Macbook air, there ad could have been used against all mac books (except the whole bit about the screen). In my opinion they should have compared a macbook pro, so the ad is disingenuous and scummy.

Microsoft could have compared any of a hundred Windows laptops that also don't have touchscreens, pens, etc.

And truth be told... those Windows laptops get purchased FAR more than a Macbook Air.

It's a little odd that Microsoft is taking shots at 7.4% of the market.

Seems like there should be bigger fish to fry.

 

[iMi]

Can MS make an ad without comparing themselves to Apple?

Comparison to Apple makes perfect sense. First, Apple is the market leader. Second, both the Surface and the Macbook Air are premium devices, so the target audience is the same. Third, Microsoft doesn't want to go head to head with other Windows OEM manufacturers. That's sort of like biting the hand that feeds you. Fourth, Android market is fragmented with dozens of manufacturers. Comparing to any single one wouldn't address a broad enough market. Comparing to Android in general wouldn't work either because of the vast number of devices out there, some with the same features.

They could compare the Surface to say Kenmore refrigerator but that wouldn't do much good.

 

[ISKOTB]

"NO ATTACKS PLEASE"
I been using Apple products for a while now and I still use MS products and I'm sure lots of people find that Windows functions better for what they want to do.

 

[aristobrat]

BUT, it does do all those things, and wtf does Apple have to show for it self, a ipad with keyboard that is missing a file system and no ports?

iCloud Drive works as a good file system for me. I don't want to store my data locally on any single portable device because then it's on me to find some way to keep it synced with all of my other devices (and then keep up with it). No thanks.

 

[iMi]

While they chose to compare the outdated Macbook air, there ad could have been used against all mac books (except the whole bit about the screen). In my opinion they should have compared a macbook pro, so the ad is disingenuous and scummy.

BUT, it does do all those things, and wtf does Apple have to show for it self, a ipad with keyboard that is missing a file system and no ports? The fact is that Microsoft took a risk and came out with an innovative design, and Apple isn't taking ANY risks anymore. Tim is boring, risk adverse, and moving apple at a snails pace.

So in some regard I have to say, Microsoft - my hat is off to Nardella. The man is recovering microsoft from the disaster that Baller left. I HOPE someone can recover Apple from the disaster that Tim has made.

Call out Apple for being lame, it's the only way things can change.

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.

 

[Guy Clark]

One word - Desperation

 

[gaximus]

Why? Apple did it a lot in the early 2000's.

Apple never compared Apple products to Microsoft products. They compared the stereotypical user of each, in a funny way. They never had a need to compare product to product.