In another attempt to chip away market share from Apple's iPad, Microsoft is now running an iPad trade-in offer. Yup, you read that right. As in, trade in your iPad and increase productivity. The software maker is tempting switchers to bring in their iPad for a $200 credit, redeemable against the purchase of a Surface "or other cool products at the Microsoft Store".
Only the "gently used" iPad 2, iPad 3 and iPad 4 are eligible. Jump past the fold for the full breakdown...
Taking another crack at tablets, Windows giant Microsoft on Monday sent out invites asking select members of the press to attend its media event on Monday, September 23, in New York City. Unfazed by slow sales of its own Surface RT and Surface Pro tablet lineup after taking the $900 million charge over unsold inventory, the company is adamant to launch a second-generation Surface tablet, the Surface 2.
The high-profile press conference will take place in New York City's Chelsea, where Microsoft is expected to formally announce the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets as refreshed versions of its existing Surface RT and Surface Pro models...
Wow, there's just no stopping Microsoft's marketing people in their anti-iPad crusade. As it’s done several times this summer, the Windows giant yesterday posted a Surface commercial which predictably takes swipes at Apple's full-size iPad, criticizing its $499 asking price, lack of SD card slot and limited Office compatibility (go figure).
You'd have think Microsoft's ad agency would not release another iPad bashing commercial until next week. Much to our surprise, however, a mere 24 hours later a new commercial has surfaced on YouTube, this time on Microsoft's WindowsVideos channel.
And for the first time, the software giant is targeting the iPad mini by pitting Acer's 8.1-inch Iconia W3 tablet against Apple's popular 7.9-inch $329 device. I've included the ad for your viewing pleasure right after the break...
You would think that with an ongoing Surface sales slump that even multiple fire sales can't fix, Microsoft would try to switch up its tactics. But nope. As it's done several times this summer, the Redmond company posted a new tablet ad today attacking the iPad.
The new spot is called 'Surface RT vs. iPad.' And like Microsoft's previous commercials, it pits the Surface against Apple's popular tablet, highlighting their differences. This time around, the iPad is knocked for having a smaller screen, lacking a kickstand and more...
In another sign that Microsoft's Surface tablets are failing to hit the ground running, the Windows giant has slashed the Surface Pro lineup by $100 through August 29. The Microsoft-branded tablet family was unveiled last October so it's only logical the company now wants to get rid of unsold inventory as it gears up to announce a second-generation Surface later this year. Both the 64GB and 128GB flavors of the Surface Pro are now a $799 and $899 value, respectively...
Steve Ballmer sounded pretty confident when his company debuted the Surface tablet last fall. At one point, he even said "I don’t think anybody has done a product that is the product that I see customers wanting," implying that Microsoft had.
But I think by now, it's pretty clear that's not the case. Not only did the software giant have to eat $900 million in unsold Surfaces last quarter, but estimates based on a new SEC filing suggest that it's only sold 1.7 million of them since launch...
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Thursday played Captain Obvious, telling Microsoft workers the company may have overestimated demand for its Surface tablets. Really? The revelation comes only after the software giant announced a nearly $1 billion writedown after slashing Surface prices.
Not willing to take such things as a sign to go off and do something else, Ballmer and operations chief Kevin Turner reportedly told a closed-door town hall meeting a new Surface is now being tested...
Microsoft just doesn't skip a beat when it comes to its fantasy that the Surface rivals Apple's iPad. Never mind the software giant had to reduce prices on its tablet because no one is buying the device. Never mind Thursday the company took a $900M writedown on those cheaper Surfaces that no one wants.
To mark all the features the Surface has (which no one except paid actors apparently want), the Redmond-based Windows giant has released another sneering ad pitting its tablet against Apple's. This is what lesser-known brands quite often do as they strive to piggy-back on the popularity of the Apple brand...
Microsoft last June unveiled its iPad contender, the ARM-powered Surface RT tablet. We've suspected all along that it hasn't been much of a smash hit.
Nine months later, the Windows giant admits defeat by announcing it will be taking an astounding $900 million loss over unsold Surface RT inventory.
The top dogs called it an “inventory adjustments”. Our take: these things would not have been collecting dust in the warehouse if they were flying off the shelves like hotcakes...
In an effort to spur struggling slate sales, Microsoft launched a TV ad campaign aimed squarely at the iPad. The strategy, which has spawned four commercials since May, focuses on highlighting the flaws in Apple's popular tablet in comparison with the Surface.
But despite the agressive campaign, Microsoft still seems to be having trouble selling tablets. According to a new report, the Redmond company is planning to drop the price of all Surface RT models by $150 later this month—a move in response to lackluster sales...
iPad-bashing is becoming the recurring theme for Microsoft as the once dominant force in computing struggles to reclaim its relevancy in the post-PC world. Nowhere is this more evident that in Microsoft's inability to hit the ground running with Windows 8 on tablets.
With a few notable exceptions, you can tell an also-ran has run out of ideas when it puts together a television commercial advertising its contender against the industry leader.
Sometimes the strategy of piggy-backing on the top dog's popularity can do wonders (case in point: Samsung), but often times it just backfires. The latter appears to be happening with Microsoft's anti-iPad ads. I'll let you be the judge of that: the latest iPad-dissing 30-second spot sporting two baseball scouts is below the fold...
Apple appears to have stemmed any loss of iPad usage online detected in April, roaring back to continue its utter domination of tablet web traffic in May. The iPad in May accounted for 82.4 percent of tablet web traffic within North America, according to the Chitika ad network. Amazon's Kindle Fire registering the next best at just 6.5 percent of North American tablet web traffic May 15 to May 21...