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Microsoft charms ‘old friends’ at 5th Ave Apple Store with ‘Peace on Earth’ performance [Video]

While Apple’s Christmas ad brought Stevie Wonder and Andra Day together this year for a warm performance of ‘Someday at Christmas’, Microsoft decided to take to the cold streets of New York City this year for their holiday commercial … right in front of the iconic 5th Avenue Apple Store. Taking a rather cheeky approach to celebrating the season while naming the competition, Microsoft Store employees from a nearby location traveled down the block to sing ‘Peace on Earth’ to “some old friends” decked in red shirts … Apple Store employees.

Some look a bit cold and others maybe bored, but most of the Apple Store folks appeared to be good sports about the whole stunt. It doesn’t hurt that the Microsoft Store employees delivered the song quite beautifully. Maybe there’s a future career on Apple Music or Beats 1 calling?

Of course, the rivalry between Microsoft and Apple is a lot more complicated than the old days of Steve Jobs versus Bill Gates. Now iPads are displayed in Apple Stores with Microsoft Office apps installed and the Office team took Apple’s stage at the last big event. Still, Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t hold back when talking about Microsoft’s iPad+MacBook competitors with the “compromised” Surface tablet and Surface Book hybrid.

Check out the full ad below (you can even watch it in 4K if you’ve got a new iMac!) and let us know what you think. Too cheesy or a class act?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMATD2qk564]

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Comments

  1. Alex Moran - 9 years ago

    Go eat a small flaccid dick MicroSoft

  2. Brenno Nicolini - 9 years ago

    I think this is very cool, of course they are still promoting themselves but cool nevertheless. Very friendly if you ask me.

  3. samuelsnay - 9 years ago

    Of course the Microsoft Store employees were able to make this walk down the block. It’s not like they had any customers in their store to keep them there.

  4. xprmntr - 9 years ago

    Hey look at us!

  5. joshdoremus - 9 years ago

    I love this!

  6. 311sie - 9 years ago

    Leave to Microsoft to make a great Apple ad.

  7. florinnica - 9 years ago

    I really like this :) There are no reasons to fight

  8. 89p13 - 9 years ago

    Tis’ the season. . . . .

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Commercial Season!

    Still – I thought it was cool! YMMV

  9. Doug Aalseth - 9 years ago

    Classy.

  10. jiggerslovesthemapples - 9 years ago

    I call fake: there’s no way “on Earth” a random bunch of MS employees sounded *this* good.

    • freerange5 - 9 years ago

      Indeed. You also would never see that many people in a MSFT store… totally fake. But sentiment was good…

  11. RP - 9 years ago

    Very cute! Good job MS advertising company!

  12. mrrvdio - 9 years ago

    this is awesome

  13. Michael Harwell - 9 years ago

    Apple = Coke, everyone else = Pepsi.

  14. rnc - 9 years ago

    “SurfaceBook twice as powerful as MacBook Pro”

  15. AeronPeryton - 9 years ago

    “Merry Christmas, Mac.”

    “Merry Christmas, PC.”

    • Bapple115 - 9 years ago

      Obvious continuation of the Mac vs PC ad. LOVE IT

  16. kylehalevi - 9 years ago

    Microsoft’s way of saying: Shit, Apple did win.

  17. dray (@73dray) - 9 years ago

    Commercial or not, a great gesture that says at the core, we’re a lot more alike than different.

  18. bpbatch - 9 years ago

    The comments on this post show what’s wrong with unfiltered social media. Most of you people are moronic children. This is a classy ad and touching. I think it would be cool if Apple returned the favor–no harm, no foul.

  19. jmiko2015 - 9 years ago

    This is the most beautiful ad I have seen

  20. rahhbriley - 9 years ago

    Watch out, some of them could be ISIS!! We DONT know. Think of all we don’t know!!

  21. Fred Hall - 9 years ago

    Obviously all actors/singers (on both sides MS and Apple “employees”), but I thought it was pretty neat.

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.

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