Skip to main content

Microsoft Windows 8 ad uses Siri to make fun of iPad

windows 8 adLast month Microsoft took aim at the vast majority of smartphone owners with a Windows Phone ad that laid into Android and iPhone users. This month, the computer giant has pushed Windows 8 into the ring to square up against the iPad.

The result is an entertaining 30-second ad that happens to feature a narrator whose voice will be familiar to millions – Siri. That’s right, Siri narrating an ad for Windows.

The ad, titled Less talking, more doing, has, quite deliberately, a look and feel reminiscent of many of Apple’s own ads – you know, minimalist style, plenty of white space, feel-good music….Siri. And look, there’s an iPad. But hang on a minute, there’s also a Windows 8 tablet alongside it.

We’re then shown a number of ways in which Windows 8 apparently trumps the iPad, with Siri helpfully explaining each point as we go. So we see, for example, updates taking place on the so-called ‘live tiles’ of the Windows 8 device, while Siri, speaking on behalf of Apple’s tablet, blurts out, “Sorry, I don’t update like that.”

As for multitasking with two apps working on the screen at once, Siri offers up another apology, saying, “I’m sorry, I can only do one thing at a time.” PowerPoint shows up too, which Siri confirms the iPad also isn’t much good at (Keynote, anyone?).

Not wanting to suffer further humiliation, Siri decides to change the subject, suggesting, “Shall we just play Chopsticks?”. With that, a piano keyboard shows up on the iPad’s screen, a reference to Apple’s iPad Mini ad from last year.

The ditty carries the ad to the end, whereupon we learn about the pricing of each device: $699 for the 64GB iPad and $449 for the 64GB Asus VivoTab Smart.

Check it out below and let us know – funny or flop?

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Windows 11 is about to make RGB peripherals way easier to use
Switches on the Razer DeathStalker V2.

Windows 11 is finally creating a solution for the multitude of RGB apps that clutter most gaming PCs. The long-rumored feature is with Windows Insiders now through Build 23475, which Windows announced in a blog post on Wednesday.

The feature, called Dynamic Lighting, looks to unify all of the different apps and devices that use RGB lighting so you don't have to bounce between several different apps. More importantly, Microsoft is doing so through the open HID LampArray standard, which makes it compatible with a long list of devices. Microsoft says it already has partnerships with Acer, Asus, HP, HyperX, Logitech, Razer, and Twinkly to support Dynamic Lighting.

Read more
Apple’s next MacBooks and iPads could be in serious trouble
The MacBook Pro open on a wooden table.

Hype has been growing for Apple’s upcoming M3 chips, which are expected to splash down in a slate of Macs and iPads later this year. Yet one leaker has come along to spoil the party and has claimed that we won’t see anything of the sort until 2024.

That idea comes from Twitter leaker Revegnus, who tweeted that there would be “No M3 Mac or iPad for this year.” That will be disappointing news to anyone looking forward to laying their hands on the latest and greatest Apple silicon chips in the coming months.

Read more
Own an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook? Install this critical update right now
IOS 16.4.1 UPDATE.

Apple has released software updates for iPhones and iPads that are light on features, but they are critically important from a security perspective. The updates — iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1 — started rolling out on Friday, but you should install them on your iPhone and iPad as soon as possible to protect your devices from attacks.

In its official release note, Apple says the updates patch two security flaws that “may have been actively exploited.” Now, Apple doesn’t disclose security issues before conducting thorough research, both in-house and in collaboration with cybersecurity experts. In a nutshell, when Apple publicly announces a security flaw, and it comes with a “Critical Vulnerability” badge, you should grab the fix as soon as Apple makes them available.

Read more