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Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Tablet Ad Highlighting iPad's Flaws, High Price [Updated]

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vivotab2As noted by The Verge, Microsoft has released a new Windows 8 tablet ad that uses Siri to highlight a few of the iPad's shortcomings, depicting the ASUS VivoTab Smart tablet as a robust productivity machine while implying that the iPad is more suited to entertainment.

In the ad, which is entitled "Less Talking, More Doing," an iPad is depicted next to the aforementioned VivoTab Smart, showing off the system's multitasking capabilities and its built-in office apps. A Siri voiceover points out that the iPad does not support multiple windows at once and does not offer Microsoft Office apps. "I'm sorry, I can only do one thing at a time," Siri laments. "I guess PowerPoint isn't one of those things."


The ad ends on a humorous note, poking fun at a previous Apple commercial that depicted an iPad and iPad mini piano duet in GarageBand. The iPad is shown operating GarageBand next to the hardworking Windows 8 tablet, and Siri asks "Should we just play chopsticks?"

Microsoft also focuses on the price difference between the two tablets in the ad, pointing out that the 64GB WiFi iPad costs $699 while the 64GB Asus VivoTab Smart is $250 cheaper at $449.

Update: Microsoft has released a second anti-iPad ad, highlighting the size and weight of the iPad vs. the VivoTab Smart and once again pointing out the multitasking capabilities available with Windows 8 tablets.

Top Rated Comments

174 months ago
Surface Pro w/ keyboard = $1100
iPad w/ cover = $550

:confused:
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
174 months ago
iPad apps? 300,000

Windows? 3000

Pwned.

Only 3000 Windows app? Mmmk. The VivoTab Smart is Full Windows 8, not RT.

Owned(autocorrected)
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
174 months ago
That was clever. Doesn't make me want a Windows tablet but the chopsticks at the end made me laugh.

Somewhere out there, PC Guy is doing a mental high-five.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robeddie Avatar
174 months ago
great ad, great points.

The biggest blind spot in Apples iOS approach is that its all about simple consumption and limits the true productive flexibility of legacy computers.
This ad makes that point, and well.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
174 months ago
This is now one of my favourite anti-apple adverts.

Just made me smile for some reason!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
174 months ago
Also, the ad is a bit deceptive claiming the iPad lacks PowerPoint.
Forget that. It's deceptive in its claim that the Surface gets 64GB. Apple does some deceiving too (formatted capacity less, OS takes up space, 1GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes), but the Surface is just ridiculous. The OS by itself takes up 30GB!!! WTF?!

----------

yeah and it comes with Pages, AKA 10 dollar Wordpad
Have you ever used Pages? If you were going to bash iWork, it would make sense to bash Numbers. I switched to iWork in 2008 and have been using Pages happily after that, but I have to use Excel a lot because Numbers sucks.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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