Microsoft has been wasting millions of dollars on commercials which point out what seems to be obvious but is not. Touch.
As in touchscreen on the new Microsoft Surface Pro hybrid notebook tablet, which is compared in commercials to a MacBook notebook which does not have touch. Or, does it? Actually, Apple’s MacBook touch is superior to Microsoft’s Surface Pro touch. As a notebook.
Contrived Comparison
My experience in product marketing tells me that differentiation is a key component when trying to sell a new product.
Microsoft’s Surface Pro is new. And different. It’s a hybrid device that acts like a tablet and a notebook.
Apple doesn’t make a hybrid notebook for Microsoft to compare to, but it’s always a good thing to take cheap shots against the market leader.
Wait. Since when is an Apple notebook the market leader? If it’s not marketshare, which it’s not, it’s mindshare, so Microsoft is doing the right thing, but doing it wrong.
Wrong?
Sure, if Microsoft did it right it would have a hard time selling its Surface Pro hybrid thingy.
Macs Touch Too
Here’s the deal. Touch is a good buzzword these days, and if you’re selling a tablet, well, touch needs to be there, so Microsoft highlights the Surface Pro’s touch capability as a notebook vs. the MacBook, with, well, no touch.
Wait. The MacBook has a touchpad built-in. It’s been there for years. How could Microsoft overlook that? In fact, Apple’s touch pad is easier to use, as a notebook, than Microsoft’s Surface Pro screen. Why? Two words: Heavy lifting.
It’s easier to move fingers on a keyboard to touch what needs to be touch, or zoomed, or flipped, on the Mac’s screen, than it is to life shoulder, arm, hand, and fingers up to the screen.
Big fail, Microsoft. The first one.
The second big fail is comparing the Surface Pro to a MacBook in the first place. It’s like comparing Windows marketshare vs. the Mac. One is an operating system. The other is a computer. It’s like comparing Android marketshare vs. iPhone and iPad. One is an operating system. The other is a smartphone or tablet.
Bad comparison. Bad.
Worse, Microsoft compares the Surface Pro to the wrong MacBook model. Add up all the goodies needed to make the Surface Pro a good notebook, and it’s about the same price as similarly powered MacBook Air plus an iPad mini.
