CNN analysts deal another blow to Microsoft’s Surface
Microsoft’s Surface tablets can’t seem to catch a break. First came the NFL blunders, when Fox commentators, ESPN announcers and local television stations confused the Surface devices for Apple’s iPads.
Now, it seems, some CNN commentators have found a different use for the $799 Surface Pro 3 tablets: as a stand for its competitor. During Tuesday night’s coverage of the midterm elections, some panelists used the Surface to prop up their iPads, or ignored the Surface altogether to stare at another tablet on their desk.
Some, like Anderson Cooper, did use Microsoft’s gadget.
CNN received the Surface tablets as part of an election 2014 partnership with Microsoft, which also included an updated “magic wall” used by reporters.
Mixups over the Surface began during the first week of the NFL season, after Fox commentator John Lynch said New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was “not watching movies on his iPad” during a game. He later said players had “iPad-like tools.”
But the Surface--not the iPad--is “the official tablet of the NFL.” The gaffes underscore the Herculean challenge many tech companies face in a market dominated by iPhones and iPads.
Microsoft is looking to shift its image from business-driven to consumer-friendly, analysts say, by opening more retail stores and revamping products. The tech giant’s partnership with the NFL and CNN is part of that move.
Microsoft handed the NFL hundreds of Surface Pro 2 tablets as part of the contract, replacing the binders of black-and-white photos football teams once relied on to review plays and study opponents. In addition to its partnership with the NFL as a whole, Microsoft also has an individual contract with the Seattle Seahawks, who play near the Redmond, Wash., company’s headquarters.
Apple is the top tablet maker globally, followed by Samsung and ASUS, according to research firm IDC. Overall tablet shipments grew 11.5% worldwide, the firm said, thanks to back-to-school promotions and heightened demand in the U.S.
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