I think even non-techy people can tell the difference between Microsoft’s Surface line and the omnipresent iPad at this point, even as both product lines get more features that cross the line between consumption tablet and laptop alternative. Maybe that’s why a Microsoft promo showed a Surface device running Apple’s software. Whoops.
Over the weekend, a post on the official Surface brand Twitter/X account proclaimed: “Read, highlight, summarize, repeat… all on Surface Pro, the ultimate research buddy.” And the photo does indeed show someone using a Surface Pro… with what’s clearly the iPadOS version of Microsoft Word on screen. Presumably it was done with the help of Photoshop.
If the general interface of the app isn’t a dead giveaway, clock the wide swipe-up gesture bar on the bottom that iPads use instead of a home button. On Windows 11, that would be either a full taskbar or a hidden one. As someone who’s been begging for a top-aligned taskbar ever since Windows 11 arrived, this hurts.
Perhaps rubbing it in a bit, Twitter users employed the platform to “add context” to the post, a tool normally used to combat deliberate misinformation. “This is an iPad screenshot on a Surface,” says the additional info, with a link to Apple’s iPad promo page.
The tweet has since been deleted, but the screenshots will live in infamy. Hey, at least it’s not quite as bad as CNN presenters using your branded product placement Surface tablets as iPad stands.