New Surface Pro 4 Ad Takes on Apple's 'What's a Computer?' iPad Pro Campaign

[NT1440]

Microsoft really needs to dial down the "full office" nonsense.

The rest of the ad works, but I was working for Best Buy when the directive came down with the "full office" pitch. Nobody cared, and frankly it just confused people even more than their (at the time) 3 different tiers of Office already.

 

[Mighty_Zoltan]

It IS relevant. Specially when you're using sliders or masking, or using the pen tool, etc...
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On a 12" device? I bet you do some great "professional" work then....

No need to be a knob mate.
I am a "professional" art director with 15 years in the design industry, have worked at a ton of massive agencies, and designed, illustrated and coded projects for everyone from Warners Bros, Intel, Sony and to bands like R.E.M and The Fall etc. Yes you can use these surfaces for professional projects. I have a mac pro, macbook pro and ipad pro (use it for astropad on my macs) but also have a surface book (and used to have a surface pro 3) and have used the Surfaces to illustrate tons Magazine covers etc.

Photoshop and Illustrator CC are both touch enabled now. Illustrator has a full on ipad like big button, touch interface. Sketchbook pro is great too. The pen isn't quite as good as the Apple pencil but it's still great.

If you can't use these Surfaces to create a professional product then that says more about your lack of talent and technique than it does about the tool.

 

[TheRainKing]

I would have defended Apple if it weren't for their stupid iPad Pro "What's a computer ads?". If your gonna claim the iPad Pro is as useful computer, it better be able to do what a computer can do.

For once, Microsoft is right to mock Apple.

 

[iMi]

You two don't know what you're talking about. Office 365 is subscription version of the Office apps, nothing more or less. The mobile version of Office, on iOS , Android and Windows Phone, misses many features that people need. If you have to write a document with any kind of complexity, they fail. The desktop versions, Mac and Windows, are full featured.

I have to say Office 365 with Online Exchange and OneDrive is absolutely the most cost effective and convenient way to run world-class setup for a small business. I think Microsoft has a winner here and the recent quarterly earnings show their cloud computing taking off nicely.
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Not really, let the ad play for four hours, and when the battery on the Surface 4 dies, spend the next 4 to 8 hours doing work on the iPad Pro that you can't do at all with the Surface 4's dead battery...

On the plus side the Surface charges back up very quickly.

 

[hagjohn]

Is hell freezing over? I think I've read pages of Apple fans saying Microsoft is right.

 

[DevNull0]

I wonder what the sales numbers are like between these two devices. I am sure Apple has sold a lot more ipads than Microsoft have sold surface tablets.

Does Apple having bigger sales numbers make you feel betters? I'm not sure how this is in any way relevant to the experiences offered by the two devices. iPads have a much lower average cost that surfaces remember?

Because if you want to open up the sales numbers, both Windows and Android run on a lot more devices than Apple does.

 

[spinedoc77]

Microsoft today launched a new commercial for its Surface Pro 4, comparing the tablet computer to Apple's iPad Pro and Smart Keyboard. The ad -- titled "What's a Computer? Just ask Cortana" -- was posted on YouTube today with a description claiming that "just because you call something a computer doesn't mean it fits the description." The new ad is clearly targeting Apple's new "What's a Computer?" ad campaign and "Super. Computer." slogan for the iPad Pro.

The ad centers around a party that Siri is holding for its new Smart Keyboard, telling the Surface Pro 4 "I'm a computer now, like you." The Surface Pro 4 responds, asking if Apple's tablet has an Intel Core i7 processor, full access to Microsoft Office beyond the mobile app versions, a trackpad, and external port options. Siri responds with, "Like I said, I just got a keyboard."

The ad ends with the tagline, "Surface does more. Just like you." The new ad today follows a similar anti-Apple theme of many Microsoft ads, which have previously focused on comparing the Surface Book and MacBook, and Windows 10 and OS X. For Christmas last year, the company released a more peaceful ad that centered around a group of Microsoft Store employees singing seasonal carols outside of an Apple Store.

The Surface Pro 4 starts at $899 for 128GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM, and going up to as much as $1,799 for 256GB of internal storage and 16GB of RAM. Comparatively, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at a smaller $799 for 32GB and maxes out at $1,099 for 256GB, with all models including 4GB of RAM.

Article Link: New Surface Pro 4 Ad Takes on Apple's 'What's a Computer?' iPad Pro Campaign

Haha!!! Good pwnage from MS, I think we're finally even for the PC vs Mac ads.
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The title of this non storie should be as follows:

New Surface Pro 4 Ad Takes on Apple's 'What's a Computer?' iPad Pro Campaign. Continues to be irrelevant

Oh the bitterness, the irony...

 

[gnipgnop]

I mean, there's hardly a massive difference in weight or dimensions, and yet there IS a massive difference in functionality

There's a functionality difference, but is it really "massive"? Spreadsheets, word processing, photo/video processing, graphic/illustration creation, music creation, email, web browsing, content consumption…you can do all of those and more quite easily on an iPad Pro. The difference is more about legacy desktop/laptop apps and whether or not the software developers have an economic incentive to bring all of their functionality to iOS. Companies that aren't concerned with legacy versions don't really have much of a problem bringing the functionality to the platform. Same goes for end users: if you're okay with using non-legacy apps, you'll find plenty of professional level functionality for various tasks, thus the rise of things like Pixelmator, Affinity Photo, Sketchbook, and Procreate etc.

 

[spinedoc77]

Microsoft really needs to dial down the "full office" nonsense.

The rest of the ad works, but I was working for Best Buy when the directive came down with the "full office" pitch. Nobody cared, and frankly it just confused people even more than their (at the time) 3 different tiers of Office already.

Full Office is a big deal for many out there, especially in the enterprise market. There is no way I could survive without full office on my device as opposed to the app. Having full Office is the strongest point in an ad with quite a few strong points.

 

[gorkt]

They are correct about the specs, but the Surface is overkill for what most people use it for. Why on earth do you need an i7 processor and all that RAM for something that really isn't good for anything except spreadsheets and powerpoints? The thing doesn't have any cooling, and no graphics card so it isn't going to be good for gaming. Oh, and that nice tablet interface is great except that there are barely any apps for the Surface. I can do all the office stuff on my Pro plus have the apple ecosystem.

 

[MacHiavelli]

Windows (and Office) was built to provide office-minded workers with a tool that is one step up from a typewriter.

It doesn't do the job very well, but the office-minded workers are happy with mediocrity. Mediocrity is what they expect.

 

[Padaung]

How often does the average Surface user actually use their device as a tablet versus running the same old keyboard+mouse apps that any ordinary Wintel laptop can manage?

Erm, every time I use it? As a dedicated tablet, the iPad wins but the sheer flexibility the Surface offers to go from tablet to full blown laptop in seconds is incredible.

The number of good quality touch enabled apps in the Windows Store is growing quickly after a slow start.

I love my Mac Mini, but Windows 10 is actually a really, really good OS. Until Apple create a similar device to the Surface, I won't be buying another iPad or Mac laptop.

 

[gamrin]

"Full office."

Isn't Microsoft the one advertising that Office 365 is a better experience because you can have the "Full office" experience on any device?

Heh... On the bright side, Microsoft just implicitly admitted that they purposely limited options on the "app versions" of Office. Hell, I'm still waiting to be able to create my own text styles in Word for iOS. Guess I can keep waiting. Either way, the iPad still greatly lacks in the productivity department for people like me.

 

[iTom17]

They are correct about the specs, but the Surface is overkill for what most people use it for. Why on earth do you need an i7 processor and all that RAM for something that really isn't good for anything except spreadsheets and powerpoints? The thing doesn't have any cooling, and no graphics card so it isn't going to be good for gaming. Oh, and that nice tablet interface is great except that there are barely any apps for the Surface. I can do all the office stuff on my Pro plus have the apple ecosystem.

Actually, since Windows uses more processes than an iPad does, have an i7 is not unwelcome at all. Something to think about: iPad runs iOS, a mobile OS. Surface runs Windows, a full-blown OS, which needs more power.

 

[LovingTeddy]

Well, Surface Pro 4 can run ransomware and the iPad Pro can't

I don't like where this is going...

This kind of thing is so outdated and it is not even funny anymore.

 

[cavallier]

If Apple had a decent CEO, more money would go to benefit the industry in the USA than going onto ideology sponsorship to make the country weak and passionate for its bloody enemies.

After the pass away of Steve Jobs, the company looks like a widow that married with the former husband's partner who was a gay and he is burning out the company's money to make employees and the whole nation to look like him. A big deception. Companies should produce instead of leading people to self destruction. Putin gets happy with.

 

[spinedoc77]

The UI elements on macOS are not designed for touch. This is also an issue in Windows 10. Touch requires much bigger UI elements (e.g. the notorious Ribbon on Office) or a stylus to work properly. Plus an entire library of third party software would need to be re-written. macOS already has a harder time attracting developers (much harder than iOS and Windows).

It's not an issue on windows IMO, I have no problem using m y surface pro 4 with touch. Although I'm not denying that windows 10 is still an ongoing project and far from finished, they have made incredible strides in making a desktop OS quite usable on a touch tablet.

But this is where I differ in terms of touch from the ipad paradigm. When it's time for me to get real work accomplished I hook up a mouse, I have my trackpad, sometimes I even connect a larger monitor to my SP4. I just don't get why every function has to be dumbed down to a large buttoned app. At some point the app becomes more difficult to use because of all the UI compromises which have to be made.

This is also ignoring that Apple, IMO, still has iOS and the ipad because it wants to sell you on the idea that you need an ipad AND a laptop.

 

[TechZeke]

The awkward moment when Microsoft is right about everything they said in the ad...

Voted with my wallet. With the student discount, it was literally the same price for a 8GB/256GB SP4 w/ Keyboard cover as a 128 iPad Pro w/ Pencil and Keyboard. I could at least give credit to the 12.9 iPad Pro if were significantly cheaper - instead you are paying nearly the same price for a quarter of the functionality.

Oh, and to all the SP4 haters: I now use my SP4 a lot more than my rMBP. Truly an excellent device. I also see a lot more Surface Pro 3s and 4s on my college campus than iPad Pros, so I think it's a pretty "relevant" device. Sorry, I know the truth hurts sometimes.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Ironic, considering that the biggest knock against the Surface, for me, is Windows 10, and it's 'chatty' nature.

I also just got an Xbox One-s (What's with the 's'? Apple, and now Microsoft?) and was inundated with the heavy handed licensing dripping off of everything. Buzzkill... (And the PRICES of the games! )

It's a big old goofy world...

 

[KPOM]

Actually, since Windows uses more processes than an iPad does, have an i7 is not unwelcome at all. Something to think about: iPad runs iOS, a mobile OS. Surface runs Windows, a full-blown OS, which needs more power.

That's not necessarily a feature. Stated otherwise, there is a LOT of "overhead" involved in running anything on Windows. That reduces battery life and increases power consumption.

 

[cavallier]

There's no rainbow composed by six colors. This is learnt at the ages of 2-3.

 

[Peter Abs]

There's a functionality difference, but is it really "massive"? Spreadsheets, word processing, photo/video processing, graphic/illustration creation, music creation, email, web browsing, content consumption…you can do all of those and more quite easily on an iPad Pro. The difference is more about legacy desktop/laptop apps and whether or not the software developers have an economic incentive to bring all of their functionality to iOS. Companies that aren't concerned with legacy versions don't really have much of a problem bringing the functionality to the platform. Same goes for end users: if you're okay with using non-legacy apps, you'll find plenty of professional level functionality for various tasks, thus the rise of things like Pixelmator, Affinity Photo, Sketchbook, and Procreate etc.

Fair point. It's probably the proper filing system, built in keyboard, and laptops "sitting" up on their own thing really. And the true multi-tasking ability of OSX vs iOS I suppose.

 

[DevNull0]

Windows (and Office) was built to provide office-minded workers with a tool that is one step up from a typewriter.

It doesn't do the job very well, but the office-minded workers are happy with mediocrity. Mediocrity is what they expect.

Macintosh was built to provide managers, analysts, planners, consultants, coordinators, admin assistants and college students with a planning tool that was one step up from a white board.

http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Apple/Apple.Macintosh.1984.102646178.pdf

I'm not sure why you're bringing up a business plan from 30+ years ago to try and define what the same company is doing today.

 

[rowspaxe]

Well, MS is right about the Surface being more of a traditional computer than the iPad Pro.

But, the Surface is not a replacement for a desktop. The iPad Pro doesn't come close.

Actually, it is in many cases, even in more "power" cases. Supports external video, mouse and keyboard.
The i7 version is great with maya and zbrush, except for super heavy files. I have opened heavy film production
rigs on my surface pro and they are very responsive. Its not a gaming machine.

 

[Gudi]

One is a tablet and one is a laptop.

The correct term is Tablet-PC. The iPad is a real Tablet and the Surface is a Tablet-PC.

Good because Apple is heading in the wrong direction with the iPad's and needs to have OSX on it and compete for computer users.

Except that your wrong direction is actually the right direction and macOS would be way too complex for a true tabletOS. Remember, the aim is to make computing easier not harder.

Apple pulled a Microsoft with the iPad. In 2010, there were no desktop processors which could work in a tablet device and give necessary battery life, so the iPad had to be a glorified iPhone. They underestimated Intel in this aspect. Now Apple is stuck with apps that are just phone apps on a bigger screen, while Microsoft has a platform that lets you do real work. Sorry to say, Tim Cook won't have the guts to abandon the iPad on iOS and keep dumping resources into a platform that's a toy.

Complete bull. They aren't bigger phone apps, they are touch-optimized apps; in contrast to legacy mouse-optimized apps running on a stupid Tablet-PC. Intels Core M is the first x86-64 to run without a fan, but it isn't any faster than Apples A9X anymore. But Microsoft advertises the i7 which won't run without a fan and will deplete your battery in no time. So in the end the Surface Pro 4 is a bigger, heavier, hotter, louder device with lower battery life and unoptimized software for a higher price. And we haven't even talked about quality issues yet.

core i7 processor, full office, trackpad. Those are all surface features that are not present on iPad.

They are features in the same way a horse-drawn carriage features harness and whip, which makes it superior to an automobile, which misses out on all these great features.