Microsoft's latest Surface Pro ad mocks Apple's BackBook... wait, what?

Intel made some serious waves recently by enlisting a familiar face from a hugely popular Apple ad campaign more than a decade old to essentially trash the latest MacBooks and iMacs, and now Microsoft is joining the party to hype up its "2-in-1 range of Surface devices" at the competition's expense.Curiously enough, said competition is not explicitly named in the newest 30-second Surface Pro 7 commercial promoted on the official Microsoft India Twitter account earlier this week. Or at least it's not... correctly named, as Redmond's latest detachable tablet computer is pitted against a nonexistent "BackBook" that sure looks a lot like a MacBook.

The 2-in-1 range of Surface devices come with laptop-to-tablet versatility, enabling you work from anywhere, anytime. Sign up for a demo. pic.twitter.com/p9vTM3wMAu

— Microsoft India (@MicrosoftIndia) March 24, 2021That's certainly an odd choice from a company that had no problem hiring a teenage actor to name and shame its arch-rival's best-selling laptops in a predictably biased video comparison just a couple of months back. Once again, we're looking at a one-sided and not particularly funny or original argument made in favor of the Surface Pro's flexibility here over the rigidity of the more traditional "BackBook."

That means that we are yet again wondering if perhaps Microsoft's marketing division is simply unaware of the existence of the Surface Laptop family, which is also unable to "stretch", "sway", and "set" itself back into place, just like the MacBook lineup.

Of course, we've come to expect these types of attack ads to not exactly be thorough and impartial after all these years, and frankly, that usually makes for far better entertainment than the alternative probably would.

While that's not really the case here, with this particular commercial arguably feeling a little stale, and yes, toothless, we can't help but hope Microsoft will eventually take a page from Intel's playbook and bring John Hodgman back into the limelight to support Justin Long in his new Apple-bashing mission. Now that would be entertaining! View Full Bio

Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.

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