In what’s now become a recurring theme, Windows maker Microsoft just fired the latest salvo of television commercials that predictably portray Apple’s iPad as a lesser tablet. Posted on the official Surface blog, a pair of holiday-themed advertisements highlight one hardware and one software feature of the Microsoft tablet: a built-in kickstand and multi-account support.
The Redmond giant doesn’t shy away from mentioning the iPad brand name in the videos. “Free apps on the iPad don’t offer the same hands-free technology,” says the voiceover in the first ad that highlights a Food & Drink app which come preloaded with Windows 8.1. The other ad lambasts Apple’s device because it “doesn’t allow for multiple accounts and does not have the ability to monitor usage”…
The blog post reads:
It is officially the holiday season and we know that many of you are in the middle of deciding which devices to purchase for family, friends, and yourselves. As you consider the alternatives, you should think about what you want to do on your tablet.
Surface is designed and built for people who want to do more and be productive on a tablet. This means different things to different people, so we’ve put together a series of videos (with more to come) to show you how Surface compares to its competition in accomplishing many of the things you do every day.
The $499 Surface 2 and $899 Surface 2 Pro were released in September, by the way.
Here’s the ‘Cooking’ ad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsknmA96Jv0
And the ‘Sharing With Family’ one.
In my personal opinion, these ads would have worked much better had Microsoft resisted targeting the iPad. Conceptually, these clips antagonize iPad owners who may be considering jumping ship, plus those who detest negative advertising.
More iPad bashing can be found on the Surface’s YouTube channel or our archive.
By the way, it’s not just Apple – here are Rick and the Old Man from Gold & Silver Pawn Shop dissing Chromebooks in Microsoft’s latest Scroogled ad.
It was only yesterday that Microsoft’s soon-to-become handset subsidiary Nokia posted a really weird Lumia 2520 ad criticizing the iPad’s lack of a physical keyboard.
Here’s to hoping that one day Microsoft will feel confident enough to air commercials that show off unique features, as opposed to providing Apple with free advertising.