Microsoft has once again taken aim at iPad in a 30-second advert which pretty explicitly calls out Apple’s tablet for being childish – a claim that would possibly carry more water if it weren’t being sung by a 10-year-old girl to the tune of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
“Grandma, don’t run out and buy an iPad,” the girl in question sings at the start of the commercial. “It was fine when I was six, but now I’m 10. My dreams are big so I need a real computer to do all the amazing things I know I can.”
No, instead the child in question has her heart set on the Surface Go, apparently. It will, she continues to sing, teach her to code and help manatees – which are curious examples to pull up given the App Store has plenty of apps that can assist with both of those ambitions. But the subtext is clear: the Surface Go is a ‘real’ computer because it runs Windows 10. The iPad with its finger-friendly, locked-down OS is not.
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There’s a certain irony in tacitly calling an opponent’s product childish with a 30-second TV spot, but it’s not like this is the first time Microsoft has taken aim at Apple in the hope of grabbing a slice of its all-conquering market share. In fact, Microsoft has been chasing after Apple’s tablet success since 2013, when it mocked the iPad’s lack of physical keyboard, USB port and kickstand in a memorable ad. They were – and are in the case of the latter two – fair criticisms, but it was hard to ignore that Microsoft was pushing the ad while simultaneously having to write down nearly $1bn worth of Surface RT stock at the time.
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And it’s not like Apple is above a good old-fashioned attack ad, of course, as Robert Webb and David Mitchell will no doubt remember.
Is the Surface Go a more grown-up tablet experience? Let us know what you think on Twitter: @TrustedReviews
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.