Apple's CEO Tim Cook took a dig at Microsoft's soon-to-be released Surface tablet during Apple's earnings call on Thursday, referring to it as a "fairly compromised, confusing product".
"I haven't personally played with a Surface yet," Tim Cook said in response to a question about the Surface and the competitive landscape in the tablet market overall.
"What we're reading about it is that it's a fairly compromised, confusing product."
Cook went on to suggest that Microsoft and other competitors have failed to make the "hard trade offs" in their tablets that are necessary to make a successful product.
Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
"I could design a car that flies and floats, but I don't think it would do all those things really well," he said.
Cook's remarks were reminiscent of another statement he made earlier this year about why it's a bad idea to try to make a tablet/laptop hybrid.
"You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator," he said in April, "but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user."
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115 comments
I think Cook needs to focus on his own house before dissing competitors. Especially when he calls a shrunken down iPad "totally innovative".
Commenter
quimby
Location
syndey
Date and time
October 26, 2012, 10:24AM
Totally!
Commenter
luke
Location
Date and time
October 26, 2012, 12:31PM
HE IS SARED FROM Microsoft. There is competition. You don't have monopoly again EVER..
Commenter
jassie
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Sydney
Date and time
October 26, 2012, 1:03PM
They should have put a donk on it.
Commenter
HighlyDubious
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Date and time
October 26, 2012, 1:21PM
how did find someone more arrogant than steve jobs.
Commenter
jools
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DaBra
Date and time
October 26, 2012, 1:25PM
I challenge Cook to design this flying boat car.
Commenter
Chris
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Date and time
October 26, 2012, 1:44PM
After a decade of owning and using Microsoft/PC products and also having the misfortune of being compelled to use them in the office sometimes, I can say, unequivocally, that I am not, in any way tempted to purchase them for personal use. I've been a VERY happy Apple owner for a decade now. Far, far better products both functionally and aesthetically.
Commenter
Underwhelmed
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Date and time
October 26, 2012, 1:46PM
@Underwhelmed
I take it you don't play games.
Commenter
tester
Location
Date and time
October 26, 2012, 2:21PM
Note that Surface is shipping with Windws 8 "RT" or whatever it's called. The "Surface Pro" that apparently runs REAL Windows 8 is still vapourware.
Microsoft propose to offer two different architectures of their tablet running two different versions of their Windows 8 operating system. Is that "choice", or "confusion" for the average punter looking at Microsoft's products. This after Ballmer admitted that the Apple model of controlling the hardware as well as the software wasn't such a bum idea after all.
The analyses I've read of Surface running RT reflect the comments made by Cook.
Re-read the article: Cook stated that he hasn't yet played with a Surface. What he is quoted as saying is "What we're reading about it is that it's a fairly compromised, confusing product."
And that's the essence of what I've read so far too.
Commenter
gary2002
Location
Sydney
Date and time
October 26, 2012, 2:29PM
I'm with chris. I also challenge Cook to design this flying boat car.
Perhaps he can then enter it in some kind of race against Clive's Titanic.
10:22am Microsoft has unveiled a revamped version of its flagship Windows system designed for increasingly mobile consumers and previewed Surface, its entry into the hot tablet market.
4:51pm Microsoft has thrown down the gauntlet to Apple with the official launch of Windows 8, a new operating system that focuses largely on tablet and mobile devices.
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