Microsoft's new Surface Pro 4 ad targets feature gaps in Apple's MacBook Air
Microsoft on Monday released a new ad for the Surface Pro 4, directly comparing the tablet against the MacBook Air, and painting it as more feature-complete than Apple's similarly-priced product.
The ad highlights the fact that the Surface is equipped with a touchscreen and a bundled Surface Pen, and can be used with or without a keyboard. It also suggests that the Air is "slower, heavier, and a bit square," and notes that Surface users can log in faster thanks to Windows Hello biometrics.
Microsoft has regularly gone on the offensive with ads for the Surface line, looking to persuade people that its devices are a better value than Apple's. Most recently, the company used Apple's own marketing against it, arguing that the iPad Pro isn't a full-fledged computer, for instance because it can't run complete desktop apps.
Apple has largely sidelined the MacBook Air this year, its only real upgrade being a default 8 gigabytes of RAM on 13-inch models. Instead the company has focused on the 12-inch Retina MacBook, which is also considerably more expensive, starting at $1,299 versus the 13-inch Air's $999. The Surface Pro 4 starts at $899 -- an official Type Cover is $130 extra, but the tablet can be paired with conventional keyboards and mice as well.
The ad highlights the fact that the Surface is equipped with a touchscreen and a bundled Surface Pen, and can be used with or without a keyboard. It also suggests that the Air is "slower, heavier, and a bit square," and notes that Surface users can log in faster thanks to Windows Hello biometrics.
Microsoft has regularly gone on the offensive with ads for the Surface line, looking to persuade people that its devices are a better value than Apple's. Most recently, the company used Apple's own marketing against it, arguing that the iPad Pro isn't a full-fledged computer, for instance because it can't run complete desktop apps.
Apple has largely sidelined the MacBook Air this year, its only real upgrade being a default 8 gigabytes of RAM on 13-inch models. Instead the company has focused on the 12-inch Retina MacBook, which is also considerably more expensive, starting at $1,299 versus the 13-inch Air's $999. The Surface Pro 4 starts at $899 -- an official Type Cover is $130 extra, but the tablet can be paired with conventional keyboards and mice as well.
Comments
I'd love a MacBook product which was essentially the bottom half of a MacBook with the upper half being a hybrid iPad. When docked, it becomes the display for the MB, when removed, it becomes a functioning iPad. When removed the MB can still be used with AirPlay as a functioning Mac. When docked, the MB could have direct access to the iPad storage for accessing files in a hierarchical manner, another plus for transferring media between Mac and iOS.
Touch OSX would be great sometimes, but definitely not essential, and in some cases possibly problematic for software not designed for it. But with the Apple Pencil, definitely much more practical than before that becomes an option.
But primarily, I'd love the convenience. Carrying one device on a trip rather than two. If Apple sold this, I'd buy it. I'm not saying they need to, just that I would. I'm certainly content to wait until Apple merges Mac OS and iOS, rather than Microsofts compromised solution.
were in the music and video industry and there is no way iPad will have the ability to carry the work load requiring 32GB of RAM with a 2 TB drive internal. Unless they have some magic rabbit in some theiritical hat somewhere that they will virtually be pulling out they may loose their "halo effect" and not with PC users but with Mac users who may have no choice.
Hey Tim. How about two less fund raisers, 6 less wind farms and put a team on getting us the state of the art "before anyone els " laptop that has the things PC users used to dream of getting. That halo effect works both ways if you start loosing Mac users to PC because they have to have a laptop they might see Windows 10 certainly isn't nearly as bad as past window releases. It still sucks as das as viruses but some of us may have no choice.
I think this is a pretty good ad and whether the Surface is any good or not (according to people here it is not but I have heard otherwise from people who use Windows). It is part of a campaign that are works to undermine the perception that MB's and iPads and by implication, Apple products are better. I am really curious where Apple is taking the Macbook line as well as the iPads over the next few years. It feels like we are in a kind of limbo right now.
It doesn't have any useful or optimized tablet Apps. Which makes it a useless tablet.
Two things are interesting though:
- the obvious reason you compare yourself to the competition is when you know they are the ones to beat. In the noughties Apple was trying to reach a wider audience so they'd trash talk Windows (with the latter providing the ammo really since the "Mac vs. PC" campaign happened during Vista...). Back then Windows wasn't seeing anybody as even vaguely threatening, today they finally realize (took them long enough) that Apple's portable products are indeed vastly more popular than anybody else's (just step inside the library or coffee shop of any US university...) and are the ones to beat.
- Old tech vs. new tech, always seem a little weak to me. We all know the MBA, at least in the 18-month old iteration shown here, is on its way out... Doesn't inspire much confidence.
Well, it's obvious why they are still pushing it - it's a billion dollar business that is growing...