Microsoft lies and cheats to portray advantage in tablet ads

Optical illusions? The iPad screen on the left is actually bigger

Earlier today Microsoft unleashed its second ad in what appears to be a new campaign focusing on directly comparing iPad to Windows 8 tablets side-by-side– not unlike Apple’s own very successful ‘Get a Mac’ campaign. However, it appears that some of Microsoft’s claims are turning out to be quite inaccurate.

To go along with the two videos posted to its YouTube channel and currently running on TV, curi.us (Via DaringFireball) points us to a comparison Microsoft has posted on its website pitting iPad against the ASUS VivoTab Smart Windows tablet. In the ad, Microsoft claims that the Windows tablet “has a bigger touchscreen,” but Elliot Temple from curi.us breaks down why it just isn’t true:

The iPad screen is 7.76 by 5.82 inches. The ASUS screen is 8.8 by 4.95 inches. ASUS is larger in one direction but smaller in the other direction, and has 3.55% less area than the iPad, not 36% more as Microsoft depicts. 

How can the screen with a larger diagonal measurement be smaller? Because it’s a different shape. Long and thin gets you a bigger diagonal but a smaller screen, for the same diagonal inches.

While Microsoft might not have all its facts straight on display size, it using the fact it still hasn’t delivered an Office app for iOS as major part of its new campaign…

It’s clear from the comparison and new ads that Microsoft is hoping the ability to run Office will be a serious differentiator for its Windows tablets, which could be giving the company even more reason to hold back the long rumored Office apps for iOS. Last we heard, Office support for iOS was on the roadmap for mid next year, but Microsoft is clearly hoping lack of Office on iPad will be a big selling point for its latest round of Windows tablets.

Both of the commercials Microsoft is currently running feature scenes mocking the lack of Office apps on iPad. The latest ad specifically points out that the Asus VivoTab RT comes with Office, while iPad only has access to the Microsoft OneNote note taking app (as pictured above). The first ad also includes a bit about Office with Microsoft showing PowerPoint running on the Asus tablet next to an iPad 4.

Microsoft’s Bill Gates was recently cited as saying iPad users were growing frustrated with software and hardware limitations of the iPad, pointing to keyboards and Office as examples. 

Microsoft clearly has big incentive to keep Office from landing on iOS, and I think its latest ads are a pretty good sign we won’t be seeing Office for iPad anytime soon.