Microsoft thinks the best way to compete with Apple is to go head to head in public.
The company has released a new advertising campaign over the weekend that highlights the difference between the Surface Pro 3 and the MacBook Air, with the claim, of course, that the Surface Pro 3 offers more than what Apple's slim laptop can ever do.
In the ads, titled "Crowded," "Head to Head" and "Power," two friends off the screen are heard arguing about the features of their respective devices. In "Crowded," the Mac user says, "I have a touchscreen too," and places his iPad on his MacBook Air. When his friend writes on the Surface screen with a digitizer pen, he pulls out a pen and a pad of paper. At the end of the ad, when the Mac user realizes he has so much "stuff" to carry, the Surface owner says, "You are more powerful than you think," a jab at Apple's tagline for its iPhone 5s ad campaign.
The "Head to Head" ad focuses on a comparison of the specs. Both devices have 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, but the Surface pulls attention towards its digitizer pen, touchscreen tablet and detachable keyboard. The ad also prominently displays a "Do Not Attempt" warning when the Mac user tries to detach his laptop's keyboard.
The third ad, "Power," highlights the Surface's other features, including USB and mini display ports and the Kickstand.
"So, you're saying it does more than my Mac?" asks the Mac user.
"Well, technically you said it," answers his friend.
As entertaining as the ads may sound, they still fail to address the one most important question that users ask: What are the Surface Pro 3's best features? The device has pretty much the same specs as the MacBook Air and comes with a few bells and whistles to boot, but the ads are left wanting when it comes to convincing users of both the iPad and the MacBook Air to switch over to the $799 to $1,949 Surface Pro 3.
This isn't the first time Microsoft has decided to take a very public jab at Apple. Just a few weeks ago, the Windows maker released another advertisement comparing Microsoft's personal digital assistant Cortana to Siri. In "Siri vs. Cortana," Microsoft shows [video] Siri fails to do a couple of tasks the users asks while Cortana happily obliges.
"Now, that is a smartphone," says Siri at the end of the video spot.
Microsoft has also published a not-so-detailed comparison chart for Surface Pro 3 and MacBook Air on its online store. The comparison mentions the Surface's "substantially thinner and lighter" build than the 2.96-pound Apple laptop. It also touts the multi-touch display and detachable keyboard, two features not found in the MacBook Air.
