Windows 8 Tablet Ad: Using Siri Against Apple (Video)
Shots fired! In the latest ad for Windows 8, Microsoft shows an iPad and one of its brand new Windows 8 Tablets side by side. The video continues as both devices run through the same tasks, but the Windows 8 tablet is able to use PowerPoint and run a search, all while playing a YouTube video. As the Windows tablet completes various tasks, Siri’s voice complains that the iPad can’t do the things the Windows tablet is doing, saying, “Sorry I can only do one thing at a time,” and “Shall we just play Chopsticks.” The final attack comes in the form of a price point: the $449 price of the 64GB ASUS VIvoTab, versus $699 for Apple’s 64GB iPad model.
The most recent attack in the Mac versus PC war feels like a throwback to Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaigns and Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” ads. It’s actually quite nice to see these two companies dueling again. For a while, it seemed that Apple had everything going it for it: market share, better advertising, cooler products and Steve Jobs at the helm. While Apple is still a leader on many accounts, Jobs’ death has seemed to stifle the company’s once-famed innovation. No longer is Apple on the cutting-edge of technology. Rather, it just seems to respond to trends. Instead of creating brand new devices like it did with the first smartphones and tablets, Apple seems content to simply make its current devices marginally better each year.
This is not to say that Apple’s products are bad by any means. I still think that if you’re willing to spend the money, a MacBook or iPad device is considerably than its Windows counterpart. But competition is healthy and necessary for technology to innovate and expand. Without competition, we would have one company dominating with a complete monopoly in the technology market. Domination stifles technological advances, so I for one am glad to see Microsoft back in the race once again.
Microsoft has $1 billion ready to go for the next round of Windows ads, so this promotion certainly won’t be the last of its kind. I just hope the next one is actually funny.
