Apple’s Tim Cook Calls Surface a “Compromised, Confusing Product”
For the first time in a long time, Apple may be feeling threatened by the competition. Windows 8 launched to the public today, and with it, so did Microsoft's 'Surface with Windows RT' tablet, Redmond's consumer oriented device and answer to the iPad. But is it a good enough answer?
Predictably, Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn't think so. What's a little unusual is that he's begun talking smack about Surface, a tactic Apple typically reserves for humorous advertising campaigns, like the infamous Mac vs PC commercials.
"It's a fairly compromised, confusing product," Cook said during an earnings call, according to Business Insider.
His critical remarks were in response to a question about Microsoft's attempt to compete in the tablet market. Cook admitted he hasn't actually played with a Surface device, but was basing his opinion on things that he's read. He also emphasized that it's extremely challenging deciding which tradeoffs to make when building a product, something he doesn't believe Microsoft did very well since Surface attempts to be many things (tablet, notebook, content consumption device, productivity tool, and so forth).
"I suppose you could design a car that flies and floats, but it wouldn't do those things very well," Cook added.
Surface RT starts at $499 for the 32GB model, and unlike the iPad it's going up against, it boasts a full size USB port and a microSD card slot. Other specs include a 10.6-inch display, 2GB of RAM, NVIDIA T30 processor, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and front- and rear-facing 720p HD cameras.
Predictably, Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn't think so. What's a little unusual is that he's begun talking smack about Surface, a tactic Apple typically reserves for humorous advertising campaigns, like the infamous Mac vs PC commercials.
"It's a fairly compromised, confusing product," Cook said during an earnings call, according to Business Insider.
His critical remarks were in response to a question about Microsoft's attempt to compete in the tablet market. Cook admitted he hasn't actually played with a Surface device, but was basing his opinion on things that he's read. He also emphasized that it's extremely challenging deciding which tradeoffs to make when building a product, something he doesn't believe Microsoft did very well since Surface attempts to be many things (tablet, notebook, content consumption device, productivity tool, and so forth).
"I suppose you could design a car that flies and floats, but it wouldn't do those things very well," Cook added.
Surface RT starts at $499 for the 32GB model, and unlike the iPad it's going up against, it boasts a full size USB port and a microSD card slot. Other specs include a 10.6-inch display, 2GB of RAM, NVIDIA T30 processor, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and front- and rear-facing 720p HD cameras.
