Microsoft's Latest Anti-MacBook Ad Focuses on Surface Pro 4's Touchscreen

Over the weekend, Microsoft launched a new ad for the Surface Pro 4, continuing its marketing strategy of comparing the tablet computer to Apple's products, this time the 13-inch MacBook Air. The ad is the newest in Microsoft's anti-Apple theme of commercials, previously comparing the iPad Pro with the Surface Pro 4, the MacBook Pro with the Surface Book, and OS X with Windows 10. Just a few weeks ago, the MacBook Air was the focus of another Surface Pro 4 ad.

Simple titled "Get the Surface Pro," the new ad has a focus on the tablet's ability to write and doodle on the screen with the included stylus. Using the same musical accompaniment of the previous MacBook Air comparison spot, the singer in the new ad tells potential customers that "if you try to write on a plain old Mac, the difference can be seen. It doesn't work." Other advantages highlighted in the ad include the detachable keyboard, and the ending tagline states, "Surface does more. Just like you."


Microsoft positions the Surface Pro 4 as a true combination tablet and personal computer, leading to ads comparing it to both an iPad Pro and MacBook. In the previous iPad Pro commercial, Microsoft's personal assistant Cortana let customers, and Siri, know that the iPad lacks an Intel Core i7 processor, full access to Microsoft Office beyond the mobile app versions, a trackpad, and external port options, making Microsoft's tablet more of a computer than Apple's 12.9-inch tablet.

The 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 starts at $899 for 128GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM, and goes up to as much as $1,799 for 256GB of internal storage and 16GB of RAM. Comparatively, the 11-inch MacBook Air starts at $899, with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, increasing to $1099 for 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, while the 13-inch model starts at $999 for 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, and rising to $1199 for 256GB of storage.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...

Top Rated Comments

levitynyc Avatar
120 months ago
Remember when Apple made laptops?

I used to love them before they stopped updating them.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newdeal Avatar
120 months ago
but I don't want to write on the screen, I just want a keyboard and trackpad that aren't terrible
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4966246 Avatar
120 months ago
That's the most desperate sounding ad I have ever heard.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannys1 Avatar
120 months ago
Waiting for the Samsung Note 7 advert...

"I can even start fires with my Note 7, I could never do that with my Mac".
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RamGuy Avatar
120 months ago
I have to admit that the Surface Pro (I don't fancy the Surface "non-Pro") are some really unique and rather nice products. But after owning the Surface Pro 3 for a month, one thing became obvious. It's a "jack of all trades, master of none".

What makes me say this? Well, the whole purpose with the Surface Pro for me was being capable of replacing both my notebook (MacBook Pro) and my tablet (iPad Air) and one thing became blatantly obvious; if you do enjoy the "touch-first" experience of tablet, the Surface Pro will fall way short.

It doesn't really matter if it's a tablet in form, and features a touchscreen etc.. When you have next to none "touch optimised" apps and user experiences to offer. All the "apps" in the Windows Store are plain horrible and lacklustre. The amount of apps offered are really low, and the ones being offered often costs money for no apparent reason and they don't really offer anything. The whole tablet / touch ecosystem is non-existent.

Most Surface Pro users tend to tell me to simply use the "real applications" aka full-blown X86 applications, that's the whole reason for a Surface Pro. But I can't agree with this logic. Using x86 applications when I simply want to use the Surface Pro as a tablet provides a really horrible and unoptimised experience. With UI not designed for touch in mind.


So compared to my iPad Air, the Surface Pro couldn't really deliver the tablet experience I have come to expect.



When it comes to being a notebook it does fare much better. It's a great devices, with great hardware and that shows. But when the tablet experience is so lacklustre, you being to feel and think about why would I want to live with a Surface Pro as primarily a notebook? The keyboard attachment is far from great, it's much better to have a "real" keyboard as the typing experience is much better and with a "real" keyboard you don't need to deal with the kickstand making it really awkward to use the Surface Pro when it's not able to sit on a table. Using it "in your lap" is a mixed experience, and that how I mostly use my notebooks, on my lap.

Not to mention the touchpad/trackpad. It's really small and it performs really bad. It's not even on the level of decent Windows touchpads/trackpads, and even they can't really compared to those of the MacBook's. It just doesn't provide a great user experience having to fiddle with that keyboard attachment.



If only the Surface Pro was able to offer a great tablet experience, then I might have been willing to pay with the fiddlyness that is the keyboard attachment and it's touchpad/trackpad. But when the Surface Pro doesn't really offer anything in terms of a touch-first tablet experience, why should I want to live with it as a rather fiddly notebook?


Once again; Jack of all trades, master of none in my experience.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
needfx Avatar
120 months ago
removing the headphone jack might boost sales figures
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)