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Microsoft ads distastefully take jabs at new iPhones, quickly get removed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avO5FXj7K-c

Following the release of the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, Microsoft has uploaded a video poking fun at the new Apple smartphones. The video pretends to be a “fly on the wall” during an Apple product development meeting, apparently attempting to make fun of the plastic materials and colors of the 5c.

The videos don’t exactly position Windows Phone against iOS, simply taking jabs at iOS without explaining any benefits of the Microsoft platform.

The ad also mentions iWatch development and the new gold iPhone 5s with fingerprint scanner. The video above follows our roundup of the latest iPhone parody videos (and some additional ones below). Several more videos from Microsoft are also below:

Update: The videos have been removed. 

Update 2: Mirror of one of the ads replaced above

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFsj3ilxIfU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avO5FXj7K

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64YubgxryMg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljn_aRSdhPQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9Ft_bMD3gg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9vvWrTjsP8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-pUKQyXqPA

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Comments

  1. depicus (@depicus) - 11 years ago

    And here I was thinking that parody had to be either funny or clever – this was neither.

  2. Steve Grenier - 11 years ago

    Well that was painful. JLE’s were pretty funny though. Love the camera guy.

    • Lincoln Sills - 11 years ago

      I guess is you can’t beat them… make stuff up?? Microsoft is as bad at losing as they are at writing software.

  3. I don’t say this often but, clearly Microsoft gets it on the 5C. While the Nokia fanboys are crying foul because they think Apple actually intentionally copied their tacky looking phones, people in Redmond know the real answer. Clearly Apple was looking for a way to squeeze a few more bucks out of the iPhone 5 by cutting manufacturing costs. While charging the same price for it. Even though I’d never buy anything but the 5S I am not a fan of that move at all.

    • Jeff DeMaagd - 11 years ago

      I don’t get where this iPhone 5c is supposed to be a more cheaply made iPhone 5, but at iPhone 5’s price bracket.

      • Claustin (@ClintAustin26) - 11 years ago

        Because it was never supposed to be the “cheap” iPhone. That’s just what all the analysts and bloggers guessed it would be. They probably thought it would be the low tier iPhone currently being filled by the 4s, rather than replacing the iPhone 5 altogether as the mid tier. It was a move to improve product yield, lower production costs, and increase profit margins.

      • Jeff DeMaagd - 11 years ago

        The objection I had was the “same price as an iPhone 5” line. It’s not *quite* true, 5c starts out at a lower price bracket than the 5 did, even if deals could be had, I don’t know if that really counts, because deals will probably be available for the 5c after a while too.

        While there was an expectation of a “cheap” iPhone, Apple has not been about cheap with phones. One might bring up the iPods nano and shuffle, but those strategies don’t play out well for iOS.

        Also, iPhones 3G and 3Gs had polycarbonate chassis at higher price points too, and it looks like the new chassis might be better.

      • Iphone 5c is never supposed to be a low cost phone. This low cost iphone thing is a whole media campaign. People in the media thought, it would be cheaper and since thier own predictions didnt materialize, they started bashing how come cheap iphone is not cheap… Iphone 5c is never intented to be cheap and I personally feel, apple doesnt need to build cheaper phones. Also apple declining and all those stuff is again a big media campaign. Market share is relative, If you competitor moves up, obviously your market share reduces. But see the numbers, did the sales of iphone drop dramatically.. no…. Apple doesnt need to launch cheaper iphone to get the lost market, as they have never lost the market. Still people who wants to buy iphone, buys them. Still there are new people getting into the ecosystem. Its business as usual for apple. Nothing changed and it wont change.

  4. Christoffer Älvenstrand - 11 years ago

    maybe Microsoft should start fixing their operating systems instead of bashing other brands… that actually releases working products…

  5. I find it interesting that with each successive iPhone release, Apple’s competition launches ever more pointed advertising at the new products with increasing speed, yet very little in the way of compelling alternatives. It’s almost like they had this shot and ready to upload before the new phones were even released. It comes off as incredible immature and distasteful.

  6. Mr. Grey (@mister_grey) - 11 years ago

    “Painful” is certainly the word. Not only not funny, it doesn’t even make any sense. Seems like just a bunch of random words thrown together.

  7. Tuan Bui - 11 years ago

    is that suppose to be Steve Job? IF so, then that video is so tasteless. not even Samsung stoop to that level.

    • Anchel Labena (@Anchel) - 11 years ago

      No, they are trying to impersonate Tim Cook and Jony Ive’s back of their heads.

    • kiskaloo - 11 years ago

      The man and woman in the video doing the pitching are Luke Burbank and his wife. Luke is a former radio show host on Seattle’s KIRO FM and he hosts a podcast called TBTL – Too Beautiful to Live. He recently noted he was at Microsoft shooting a video for internal distribution where he and his wife played Apple employees pitching the new iPhone to Tim Cook.

      And for the record, Luke is an Apple customer – he has owned multiple versions of the Apple iPhone and uses Mac computers. His official reason for doing the video is he hates iTunes 11. :)

  8. Big Wayne (@ctt1wbw) - 11 years ago

    I think Microsoft should actually make a cell phone before they poke fun of other cell phones.

  9. a bunch of immature and jealous babies

  10. Microsoft makes cell phones too?

  11. If Microsoft would spend less time making these pointless videos, and use more of their time being productive and find ways to be more innovative maybe they could provide consumers with a product that would make their jaws drop ( The WOW affect ), when was the last time Microsoft had that kind of reaction?

  12. Jean Marciniak - 11 years ago

    Is that supposed to be Steve Jobs? If so Microsoft you stepped over the line.

  13. When you are as successful as Microsoft is at the phone market you can’t really try to be smug. A video inspired by that visionary humorist Ballmer I suspect.
    At least when Apple was struggling there ads were funny and became imitated by others, trust me nobody going to imitate this, just like a lot of Mr Ballmer’s Microsoft offerings. Hand up anybody owning a Windows phone. No? Thought so.

  14. Erik (@Elokens_) - 11 years ago

    I think Microsoft is upset as they just bought Nokia, then Apple comes out with colored plastic phones too.

  15. Andrius Kleiva - 11 years ago

    Dumb and not funny at all. That is pretty much it.

  16. grace (@grelca) - 11 years ago

    I feel like this is when politicians have campaigns that say “this is why you shouldn’t vote for the other guy” rather than “this is why you should vote for me.” I really hate that kind of campaigning.

  17. Not even a little bit of fun…

  18. Lars Pallesen - 11 years ago

    What do you do when you haven’t got the product to compete against the iPhone? You do something like this. A desperate PR attempt to ridicule the market leader in smartphones. Microsoft, do you really think, that THIS will convince people to buy a Windows phone over one of the new iPhones? Really?

    • Claustin (@ClintAustin26) - 11 years ago

      Well, Apple isn’t the market leader, but everything else you said is spot on.

      • kylerjackson6 - 11 years ago

        Are you confusing OS with sales because the iPhone is the best selling phone on the market? Don’t understand your comment.

      • Lars Pallesen - 11 years ago

        Unless something has changed overnight, the iPhone is still the world’s best selling smartphone. I think that’s called a market leader.

  19. Edison Wrzosek - 11 years ago

    Wow, just wow… I’m speechless after watching this… If M$ ever wanted to make me dump every single one of their products in a New York Minute, they just did!

    This was infuriatingly insulting, childish, ignorant, pompous, and demeaning… It also WREAKS of desperation!

    Microsoft, oh how the mighty have fallen, good riddance…

  20. hisdudenessman - 11 years ago

    The real title should be “Microsoft pretends to be hip and fails horribly”, man.

  21. rettun1 - 11 years ago

    they probably REALLY thought this was going to be funny

  22. bobborries (@bobborries) - 11 years ago

    This from the company who gave us a brown and baby diaper green Zune?

  23. Mark Thmas (@zKINGb) - 11 years ago

    Nothing classier than mocking a deceased individual. Keep up the good work Microsoft. Please make another video of what it’s like to be at the bottom looking up… Oh wait…

  24. TechPeeve (@TechPeeve) - 11 years ago

    Apple spends 10 years with a Microsoft bashing campaign “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” and Microsoft comes out with one ad and you ApplePhags go kibitzer! It really epitomizes the pathetic, blind bias in which you lemmings behave!!!

    “Maybe microsoft should focus on getting their O/S to work” Just blind stupidity. Obviously it works fine and on a LOT OF VARIED HARDWARE by hundreds of millions more than the OSx base. Just a fact! How well would OSx run on hardware that isn’t specifically tweaked to run it? Not too well!

    “I don’t get where this iPhone 5c is supposed to be a more cheaply made iPhone 5”

    Plastic is cheaper to work with than aluminum and a -slightly-cheaper material. Even the special, -magical- polycarbonite that Apple is using. Polycarbonite is used in a ‘few’ other places too, but Apple will probably still get a patent for it.

    Start a cult already, the only thing the Apple fan base is missing is a few well placed mass-suicides!!

    • Jeff DeMaagd - 11 years ago

      I guess you’re not so keen on honesty, I’m A Mac ran for three years.

      Thanks for taking quotes out of context too. Makes you look like a liar.

      I thought John Hodgman stole the show on that one.

      None of those ads mocked a dead person either.

      • Claustin (@ClintAustin26) - 11 years ago

        Not only that but I’m a Mac also was at least showing the Mac alternative. These are just taking cheap shots for the sake of taking cheap shots. And during the time when I’m a Mac was running, Windows was in the midst of the whole Vista debacle. Vista did not run fine and everybody hated it.

    • Edison Wrzosek - 11 years ago

      Why don’t you go and troll someplace else? Somewhere where respect to the dead and decency don’t matter? Because that what it seems like with you.

      Regardless of the ad “trying” to bash Apple, they mocked a dead man for f__k sakes! How low, distasteful and insensitive does one have to be for sake of “marketing”?

      And if you think there’s nothing wrong with that, then GTFO and make sure the door slams you on the way out!

    • ikir - 11 years ago

      Ah ah ah I’m a PC technician too and you write nonsense. It MS fault if Windows is crap, they choose this way. Apple way is to produce and support its hardware. Maybe MS choice is not wise in the long run.
      You are clearly a troll, childish and blind but accuse others to be fanboys. Really shame on you… Go to read some fact about apple and innovation and what MS did in the same time frame… You are pathetic like the MS ads

  25. Amber (@WhoIsAmber) - 11 years ago

    I’m not even a apple fan-girl (I own a few PC’s running Windows XP through 8, an android tablet (Nook) and have an iPhone and iPod)… but this was really low and pathetic on Microsoft’s part.

  26. beyondthetech - 11 years ago

    So many laughable things at Microsoft. Remember the Windows 7 Party campaign? I’m still reeling over that.

  27. drtyrell969 - 11 years ago

    This was great and right on the mark. The only product Apple is missing is selling a treatment for denial.

  28. Victor Vegaz - 11 years ago

    I loved the ad…But don’t forget the new Iphone has 8 mexapixels…how cute!

  29. Gregory Wright - 11 years ago

    I don’t understand Microsoft. Why not focus on its products and make them better instead of telling everyone the Apple continues to kick our butt.

  30. Omar Fierros - 11 years ago

    Absolutely stupid and pointless, I can’t believe that a company like Microsoft wastes money in making this poor quality stuf; I guess that’s all they have left to do.
    Is just funny how everything Microsoft sucks!

    • Lars Pallesen - 11 years ago

      “I can’t believe that a company like Microsoft wastes money in making this poor quality stuff”.
      Isn’t that what Microsoft has been doing for years? ;-)

  31. b9bot - 11 years ago

    Microsoft is really scared is the only reason they would even think of posting such stupidity.

  32. cluey36 - 11 years ago

    Ok the video wasn’t particularly funny, but lets get it straight, the only thing being ridiculed was the 5c. Not Jobs, not individuals just a phone. And deservedly so, the 5c is a poor product. Over priced and nothing new being offered. Just spend a little extra on a 5s.
    Remember Apple do get things wrong (remember Maps), and if MS were as bad as some on here make out then they would have gone bust years ago. In the end though having competition is good for everyone.

    • Lars Pallesen - 11 years ago

      “the 5c is a poor product”. Really? It’s basically an iPhone 5 in a colored high quality plastic case. What’s so poor about that?

  33. Dan Heller - 11 years ago

    They better poke their fun NOW – before the actual tests, benchmarks & reviews come out… The only thing the same between the 5 & 5S is the way it LOOKS.
    It’s apparent Microsoft is worried about the 64 bit A7. Gotta throw the negative propaganda out there.
    This reminds me of 2nd graders making fun out of jealousy.

  34. MacXcode - 11 years ago

    Well, I for one am glad to see that MicroDickBalmer made such a video and post it on Youtube! Even Though it’s as tasteless as it is!
    This way it’ll keep Apple in check from having Tim Cook being one of the sorriest NON-Innovative CEO ever representing Apple.
    After saying this, I want Apple to know that I’m one of Apple biggest fan and I’m surrounded with Apple eco-system in my house and after watching Apple coming out with nothing new in innovative iphone 5c (and C stands for “CHEATING” Apple consumers again) and iPhone 5s ( S stands for “SUCKING” Apple consumers “IN” again with its miniscule improvement!).
    It’s a good thing that there are competitions mocking Apple for it. I want to see even more “Mockings” from its competitions, and Tim Cook got to “GO!”
    Apple stocks heading south in Tim Cook tenure! Hello!!!

  35. kiskaloo - 11 years ago

    The man and woman in the video doing the pitching are Luke Burbank and his wife. Luke is a former radio show host on Seattle’s KIRO FM and he hosts a podcast called TBTL – Too Beautiful to Live. He recently noted he was at Microsoft shooting a video for internal distribution where he and his wife played Apple employees pitching the new iPhone to Tim Cook.

    And for the record, Luke is an Apple customer – he has owned multiple versions of the Apple iPhone and uses Mac computers. His official reason for doing the video is he hates iTunes 11. :)

  36. Nadia Barakat - 11 years ago

    Here is the original video uploaded again http://youtu.be/DtSLxjpw7Go