New Microsoft Cortana TV commercial: Is Apple Siri the new Google Chromebook? No, but for now it will have to do.
With Google Chromebook record-setting sales performance taking a big bite from Microsoft worldwide, the Chromebook smear campaign had to lose its momentum, eventually, and revert to attacking Apple, a common competitor who is less likely to fight back. Mostly because it doesn’t need to.
Microsoft’s comparative advertising tactics have taken a turn in recent years that perhaps shouldn’t have. the company is hurting enough as it is, especially in a time of transition, with a marketplace that is quickly moving to the cloud, and with technology rapidly changing the way consumers shop and do business.
Apple is about to deliver the biggest blow the industry has ever seen, with a swift and timely change of direction involving the iPhone, its flagship product and most powerful asset in its arsenal, aside from joining forces with IBM, the ultimate ally in the enterprise sector.
In its new TV commercial, Microsoft Cortana is portrayed as the ultimate personal assistant, to every husband who is too busy, to remember trivial little things like... buying anniversary flowers for his wife.
Of course every hero has to have a bumbling side-kick, or at least a goofy competitor, whose part goes to Apple Siri, portrayed as a self-loathing complainer, unable to fulfill any of the requests of its owner, and ultimately admitting defeat to Cortana, running on a Nokia Lumia 635.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, this TV commercial in particular, leans dangerously close to looking like a bad joke, to the 12,500 former Microsoft employees, and Nokia workers, who were recently let go, as part of Natya Nadella’s workforce realignment of the company.
Microsoft has certainly stepped up its game with Cortana, bringing the functionality closer to Google Now, especially with the “Remind me” feature, which automatically sets voice-dictated reminders. The feature is flatteringly similar to the latest update to Google Now, which allows for voice-set reminders, that gradually phase out after a period of time.
How Cortana fares, in actuality, against rival Siri, is an experience that varies, pending individual experience and rate of updates and improvements.