Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has finally taken Apple CEO Tim Cook to task for his hypocritical comments about 2-in-1 PCs.
And it’s about freaking time.
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As you may recall, Mr. Cook was asked during a quarterly earnings conference call about PC/mobile hybrids—what we now call 2-in-1 PCs—after Microsoft launched Surface in late 2012. At that time, Cook mocked these devices as Frankenstein contraptions that didn’t meet user needs.
“Anything can be forced to converge, but the problem is that products are about trade-offs, and you begin to make trade-offs to the point where what you have left doesn’t please anyone,” he said in response. “You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going be pleasing to the user.”
Which explains why Mr. Cook’s Apple released its own 2-in-1 computer, the iPad Pro, just three years later. Well, that and the fact that the iPad, which had been going gangbusters in 2012, had seen sales slow and then fall. In fact, iPad sales have fallen year-over-year for over two years now.
So Apple, like Microsoft and the PC industry before it, saw convergence as the solution. And the iPad was converged to be more like a 2-in-1 PC. To be more—a lot more—like Surface.
Well, Cook’s “converged toaster and refrigerator” comments—like Steve Jobs’ equally-mistaken miscue of calling out a certain tech journalist who said that “anyone who thinks the iPad is a game changer is a tool”—has triggered a long-overdue comeuppance. And now, a year after Apple launched the iPad Pro, Microsoft’s Nadella has finally called him out on it.
In an interview with the Financial Review, Mr. Nadella said that Microsoft’s bet on 2-in-1s—once mocked by Mr. Cook—had paid off.
“Take Surface,” he said, referring to boldness and risk. “Three years ago, the 2-in-1 as a form factor was questioned. Does anybody need one? And now guess what, even our competition has decided that it’s not a refrigerator and a toaster but it’s actually a 2-in-1.”
This shows me a couple of things.
One, Mr. Cook’s words had their intended hurtful impact: Mr. Nadella wasn’t even CEO of Microsoft in 2012, but he clearly retained the insult.
Two, and this is no surprise, Nadella is a class act. He could have gone a lot further in his calling out of Mr. Cook–for example, by naming names—but he maintained his civility. (I couldn’t have done that. I am, in fact, not doing that.)
There is still a healthy debate to be had about which approach to the 2-in-1 is “better” if not “correct.” Apple, because iOS is so much more popular than the Mac, started with a simpler platform. While Microsoft, thanks to the popularity of Windows, started with a more powerful but complex system. Both ideas have merit, and the market will decide.
Too, Apple has a rich history of putting down product categories in which it secretly intends to compete. That said, I don’t believe Cook knew in 2012 that he’d be forced to eat crow and create his own 2-in-1.
Which, ultimately, is what makes this so wonderful.
5510
<p>LOL…first of all, why is Paul feeling sense of vindication over what Nadella said? Steve Jobs was absolutely RIGHT and Paul was absolutely WRONG.</p>
<p>"…like Steve Jobs’ equally-mistaken miscue of calling out a certain tech journalist who said that “anyone who thinks the iPad is a game changer is a tool”</p>
<p>A comeuppance is overdue?</p>
<p>The fact is that the, iPad IS and HAS been a game changer.</p>
<p>A few things:</p>
<p>1. There would be no Surface line from Microsoft, if there wasn’t an iPad at all. If there WAS no iPads, tablet computing would still be looked at as a Tablet PC. I know. I have a Signature Series HP Tablet PC from 6 years ago. So did the iPad change the game? YES. Certainly, YES.</p>
<p>2. Microsoft didn’t "invent" the 2 in 1. Not even close! A 2 in 1 computer is basically a tablet that can be used as a computer. Paul Thurrot has gone for years on the record as saying that a tablet is not a real computer, when in fact it is. To him, a computer HAS to run a desktop OS, which is not the case, especially when the internet/web offers a comparable, capable, and specific platform solutions. Microsoft KNOWS this, as they are slowly moving away from their own Windows product.</p>
<p>So who invented it? I don’t know the exact origin, but I do remember years ago stepping into Best Buy and seeing iPad and Android covers with bluetooth keyboards attached. The fact that these products were in market and people buying them signaled a market demand, to which Microsoft answered the call first, with their lackluster first versions of Surface Pro/Surface.</p>
<p>Let’s not forget it took version 3 or version 4 for the Surface line to finally be successful. We all know this, as we read about Paul’s adventures with Surface Pro 1 and all the peripherals he was trying to use.</p>
<p>As for the 2 in 1 battle, it’s not Surface vs iPad Pro. It’s not tablet PCs, with vs without a keyboard. Of all people, Paul and other Computer enthusiasts should know that. It’s has always been and always will be the Operating System in conjunction with User Experience. Microsoft stance has been with the desktop OS, since Surface RT failed, and Apple has always been about iOS. Users of today (not 10 years ago) want a simpler user experience. Isn’t that the case? Today, one report says that the iPad Pro is beating the Surface Pro 4 in terms of sales. The fact that more people are buying the iPad Pro over the more complex "Windows 10 OS" tablet, is a telling story as to how the market is moving.</p>
<p>Again, it’s all about the OS and the user experience. That is probably and most likely what Tim Cook was referring about with his toaster/refrigerator thing.</p>