Microsoft has a habit of reigniting the Mac vs. PC conflict for its Surface ads, and this time it’s going after Apple’s Touch Bar. In a new TV commercial, aired during Sunday night’s NFL championship games, Microsoft pits Apple’s MacBook Pro against the company’s Surface Pro 7. It’s a chance for Microsoft to mock Apple’s Touch Bar in a TV commercial for the first time.
“Mac gave me this little bar, but why can’t they just give me a whole touchscreen?” asks a boy comparing the two laptops. That’s something that some MacBook Pro users have been calling for, or just the removal of the Touch Bar altogether. Apple is now reportedly planning a redesign for the MacBook Pro later this year, with the Touch Bar rumored to be replaced by physical function keys.
Elsewhere in the ad, Microsoft tries to position the Surface Pro 7 as a gaming device. “It is a much better gaming device,” claims the ad, which is an unusual way to frame Microsoft’s popular Surface device. The Surface Pro 7 is barely capable of running the latest PC games at acceptable frame rates with its integrated Intel graphics, so it’s not the biggest selling point.
Microsoft has previously compared its Surface Pro to the MacBook Air, bashed Macs in general, and found a guy named Mac Book to tell people to get a Surface Laptop.
This latest ad also focuses on the older Surface Pro 7, which has now been replaced by the Surface Pro 7 Plus for businesses and schools at least. The new model includes a bigger battery, Intel’s 11th Gen processors, a removable SSD, and LTE.
