Microsoft Launches New Anti-iPad Surface 2 Ad Highlighting Kickstand and Multiple Accounts

Microsoft today released two new anti-iPad ads, continuing its ongoing campaign that pits various Windows tablets against Apple’s iPad. In the new holiday-themed advertisements, Microsoft highlights both the Surface’s kickstand and its support for multiple user accounts.

It is officially the holiday season and we know that many of you are in the middle of deciding which devices to purchase for family, friends, and yourselves. As you consider the alternatives, you should think about what you want to do on your tablet. Surface is designed and built for people who want to do more and be productive on a tablet. This means different things to different people, so we’ve put together a series of videos (with more to come) to show you how Surface compares to its competition in accomplishing many of the things you do every day.

In the first ad, Microsoft suggests that both the Surface and the tablet’s hands-free mode keep the screen clear while completing tasks such as cooking. Windows 8.1 includes a Food & Drink app that allows users to flip through recipe pages by waving a hand in front of the device. "Free apps on the iPad don’t offer the same hands-free technology," says the voiceover.

In the second ad, Microsoft points out the iPad’s failure to support multiple user accounts in iOS, which is a point of contention for many iPad users. Both the Surface 2 and the Surface 2 Pro support both multiple accounts and parental monitoring. "The iPad doesn’t allow for multiple accounts and does not have the ability to monitor usage," states the ad.

Microsoft’s newest ads are part of a long series of anti-iPad advertisements that have attempted to point out several flaws in Apple’s tablet, including its lack of an integrated kickstand and keyboard, the absence of dedicated productivity software on the tablet its poor multitasking capabilities and its failure to offer expandable storage. Microsoft’s VP of communications, Frank Shaw, even took to the company’s blog in October to denounce Apple’s iWork software.

Despite its steady stream of ads and its vigorous anti-iPad campaign, Microsoft was forced to initiate price cuts on its original Surface tablets earlier this year, revealing in July that the Surface lineup had earned just $853 million for the company.

Though the original Surface tablets did not sell well, Microsoft released its Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro in September, priced at $449 and $899, respectively.