Microsoft Shares Holiday Ad Promoting Surface Go Over Apple's iPad: 'Big Dreams Need a Real Computer'

Microsoft this week shared a new ad on its Microsoft Surface YouTube channel, this one aimed at promoting the Surface Go. As the ad begins, a little girl stares into the window of a Microsoft Store and begins singing about her preference for the Surface Go over Apple's iPad, to the tune of the song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

She sings, "Grandma don't run out and buy an iPad, it was fine when I was six but now I'm 10. My dreams are big so I need a real computer, to do all the amazing things I know I can." Microsoft's ad is aimed at Apple's own "What's a Computer?" ad campaign, which began in 2016 and showed off a few of the things that the iPad Pro can do as a replacement to a traditional laptop computer.


Microsoft's description of the video includes a reference to needing a "real computer": "Big dreams need a real computer, like the Surface Go, to help make them come true. This holiday season, discover all the possibilities with the Surface Go. Portable, powerful and starts at $399."

The Surface Go launched over the summer at a price point of $399, making it a direct competitor to Apple's cheaper iPads. The Go is basically a smaller version of the $799 Surface Pro, including the integrated kickstand and a front-facing camera above the 1800 x 1200 resolution IPS touchscreen display.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...

Top Rated Comments

Quu Avatar
83 months ago
They're not wrong, sometimes you do need a "real computer". I cannot imagine trying to do my work (software development) on an iPad, that would be real torture.

EDIT:// I'm getting a little bit of shade for this comment so I want to clarify a few things. I like the iPad, I think it's a great product for tasks well suited to its form factor.

Tasks like reading a book, watching a video, playing a game. I also think it's good as an auxiliary device within a larger creative process.

However there is a lot of creative things that you can't do entirely on the iPad. Too often there comes a point in the creative workflow on an iPad where you need to take the file you're working on to a "real computer" to accomplish something that the iPad can't do.

The biggest weak point is integration. For example lets say I'm making a website. I'm coding it, HTML, CSS, Javascript. I'm also designing parts of it in Photoshop CC and I'm also testing it in various browsers.

I can't do that on an iPad. Firstly all the browsers on it use Webkit as the browser engine. Mandated by Apple. So I can't test what I make in multiple browsers on the iPad itself. I also can't easily make stuff in Photoshop and then import that into my website. The ability to edit things and upload them to the websites server is difficult on the iPad.

And as for code editors, it's difficult there too, the workflow with lots of different files in lots of directories does not lend itself well to the iPad. The files app isn't very good.

This is just one example but it's the same for video editors, image editors, music creators. There always comes a point in the workflow where you need to do something that the software is too limited to do, either the apps don't support the same file formats or their capability is not at the level of traditional desktop class software.

I have a friend who records some of his music with his iPad but he doesn't "edit" what he records on it, it's just not got the software for his level of work (professional artist). Of course he has to take it to his Mac to finish it up and to get his unique sound on the music (it's mostly electronic songs).

I have another friend who is a comic strip artist. She draws most of her stuff now on her iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil but similarly she has to take what she makes to her Mac to be able to finish it off and upload it to her website. She told me before she can do this on her iPad but that it takes too long and it's to quote her "annoying". She loves drawing on it, but once she's done she wants nothing to do with that device for manipulating the end result, authoring it on her site, it's just not as good at that stuff as her "real computer" etc

And I think most of you here know that, if you've used an iPad you have experienced the same things I'm sure. There is a lot we take for granted on traditional computers like Windows and macOS that is not there on the iPad and we miss it. The multitasking on the iPad has gotten better over a long period of time but it's still nothing as good as the "real deal" so to speak on a "real computer".

As usual Apple is competing with themselves, macOS is so good. Pretty much every review of the recent iPad Pro's I saw harped on this fact, yeah it's great hardware but it's hamstrung by so-so software (from a creative professional standpoint which is what iPad Pro's are intended for).
Score: 85 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coldsweat Avatar
83 months ago
iPad - "fine when I was 6 but now I'm 10" - Love it, great line!
Score: 64 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lilrush Avatar
83 months ago
And its actually true. Apple can't keep pushing a device with a mobile OS as a computer.
Score: 61 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DEMinSoCAL Avatar
83 months ago
Too bad W10 is still an unreliable disaster.
Too bad that is completely untrue. If your W10 computer is an unreliable disaster, it's all on you. You either bought a piece of crap computer to begin with, or you downloading too many "free" things from the internet.

The truth is, W10 is one of the best, most reliable versions of Windows 10. But, feel free to post links to mainstream IT sites who say W10 is a disaster. I'd be interested in what I must be doing right for my clients who have completely a trouble-free W10 experience. As a matter of fact, one client that is mixed Mac and Windows, the Mac users have far more issues than the Windows users. Far more.
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Piggie Avatar
83 months ago
Irrespetive of any views about Microsoft vs Apple, and Tablets vs Laptops, and iPads vs Surface's.

Virtually every single one of the in depth reviews, both online, and in the many tech podcasts said over and over again the exact same thing:

"The hardware of the latest iPad's is totally stunning. The power, and overall quality of the device is amazing in every way. However THE BIGGEST problem, and it's so obvious, even more now is iOS. It's just ridiculous, and so limiting to have a blown up phone OS on such an amazing and powerfully device as the current iPads, and Apple REALLY needs to do something about this now, as it's just crazy given it's sheer power, that it's being held back by the OS"

Come on Apple, everyone, even your most loyal fans, can see this now.
iOS was good enough years ago, on the 1st few iPads. But now, they deserve YOU to move on, and make iPads devices that can become what so many want them to be.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFather Avatar
83 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)