CNN Election Night anchors use Microsoft Surface tablets as iPad kickstands while on the air

In a lot of ways, there's really no competing with the iPad. Apple has such a massive hold over the market with its electronics, it'd be silly for any smaller company to try and compete directly.

Then again, if one company were to pay another to feature that brand, one would expect that to happen. It's business; it's not about which brand anyone prefers. So, if Microsoft were to pay someone to use their Surface Pro tablets, you would expect that company to use the tablets. In fact, that's probably what Microsoft expected to see during CNN's Election Day coverage last night, esepcially after striking a deal with the network to feature their products.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, it looks like its marketing department has hit another snag. While the company likely assumed that the CNN correspondents were using the Surface Pro tablets, sharp-eyed viewers noticed that the network hosts were using something else entirely before sites like Complex, Geekwire and The Verge picked up the story. It seems that CNN is full of avid Apple enthusiasts...

Basically, it looks like CNN was using Microsoft's tablet as cover, and the hosts were using the iPads the whole time. It's like a kid hiding a comic in his schoolbook, only each book costs a few hundred dollars. For whatever reason, the anchors weren't up for using Microsoft's tech and simply used their iPads instead. Familiarity with the iPad could have played a big factor here.

Clearly, things have been rough for the Surface Pro. Any sort of attach rate for Microsoft's biggest tablet has been slow across the board, whereas the iPad continues to dominate the global market. There's plenty of competition for Apple's spot at the top, but despite all of the different attempts to take the crown, the iPad remains king.

Either way, one thing's for certain: CNN definitely has enough tablets to go around.

Photos: Sean MacEntee/Karlis Dambrans (Cropped)