NeoBytes :) is an occasional feature that takes a step back from the big headlines, to take a look at what else is happening in the vast, scary expanse of the tech world - often with a cynical eye, always with a dose of humour.
Not too long ago, Microsoft proudly announced their partnership with CNN during the 2014 senate elections and beyond. The partnership is fairly simple: Microsoft would be paying CNN a whole lot of money, and in return CNN would casually inject Microsoft products (such as Bing, Internet Explorer and Surface tablets) into their line-ups. Fairly simple, right?
Unfortunately, giving up the iPad for a Surface isn"t always a simple transition, and some CNN announcers felt that the Surface was big enough to hide the iPad behind it. Well, either that or they thought that the iPad and Surface looked close enough that no-one would notice. Either way, it made for a funny outcome when the internet took notice to what was happening. In an image Tweeted by @adamUCF, he managed to catch one of the commentators using the Surface as what appears to be a makeshift iPad stand.
Another snap by the redditor mikeg3471 caught a wall of Surfaces trying to block out the fact that the commentator was casually on his iPad.
But unfortunately for Microsoft, this isn"t the first time that there has been an iPad-Surface clash in one of their partnerships. Just a couple of months ago in September there was a similar incident with the NFL where the Cardinals coach Tom Moore was shown on screen using his iPad, and another separate incident where the NFL commentator had referred to the Surface as "an iPad-like device" when he forgot what it was called.
There is at least some hope for Microsoft in all of this, however, as people are actually realizing that they are looking at a Microsoft Surface and not an odd-looking iPad with a kickstand. That"s a good thing, right?