The ad is embedded below.
The tag line is, “I can’t do that on my Mac”. Granted, I am an Apple person, with clear bias. But, that said, this ad feels more like something you’d see from a marginalized product that adds a feature purely for the ability to make that claim. The ad doesn’t fill me with wonder, doesn’t even come close to having an emotional core. There’s no whimsy.
If Microsoft is going to take on the MacBook or the iPad Pro (which would have been a fairer comparison for this particular use case), they are going to have to dive deep within themselves to get in touch with the elements that make their product truly special. That’s where Apple’s best ads start.
The fundamental thesis of this ad is: tablet sales are a zero-sum game. This is foolish and wrong.
It also positions the Surface as a tool for talented artists (and you are not one) instead of for the hoi-polloi.
The Surface Book: Meh
Ho man the atrocious lag with the touch manipulation and stylus! Cringe-worthy of them to include does in the ad…
I’m definitely an Apple fan. I write software for the platform and my family is all in on Apple products.
I do, however, think this commercial and the product in particular are very well done. I saw the ad last night for the first time and thought, “Hey, Microsoft is finally doing some good commercials.”
The Surface Book is a 1.0 product and I believe it will only get better. They’ll learn from it.
“Also, I’m British, so I always scale down my expectations a bit.”
I think this ad’s meant for people who feel bad about leaving Windows, not necessarily about using the best gear for the job.
Tim Flach ‘is a real person paid for a real opinion’ it says during the advert.
Well that makes it worthwhile!
Isn’t it about a 3.0 or 4.0 product by now?
I don’t mean in finish, I mean in terms of how many times they’ve released it and hoped, then thrown it entirely out and started again only to create the same thing.
The fact that you have to mention iPad Pro along with MacBook is a huge problem. Sure, tech bloggers have a phone plus 2 PC’s, but for most people, they have a phone and even just one PC is optional. If you go PC shopping at Apple Store right now with about $1000, do you buy MacBook, MacBook Air, or iPad Pro? Hard to say. Every choice has many, many drawbacks for each user if it is their only PC.
When Tim Cook proudly says he uses an iPad for 85% of his PC work, what I hear is that his iPad fails him a full 15% of the time. After 6 years, iPad should be a 100% effective touch PC for a business user like Tim Cook and Mac should be a 100% effective touch PC for a creative user. Very distinctive split, like iMovie and Final Cut Pro. Final Cut users shouldn’t have to also use iMovie because Final Cut is missing whole features from 2010. No ambiguity about whether the i-product or pro-product is right for you.
Yes and No. The Surface Pro is at revision 4 but the Surface Book is a brand new product. It has some issues but I’m sure the next rev will improve on it.
If I were to purchase another Windows device it would be a Surface Pro 4. It’s a great little machine.
Not that it matters too much but I was able to watch an artist use one of these devices during a Microsoft event. I cannot remember the name of the software he was using but it was very responsive.
Simon,
I totally agree about mentioning iPad Pro and MacBook. They shouldn’t. It should be an advert that can stand on its own for their product.
For another Windows machine: definitely. But I’m hoping not to have to purchase one again. 🙂