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NFL Commentators Still Calling Microsoft's Surface Tablets "iPads"
AmiMoJo writes: Back in 2013, Microsoft inked a $400 million deal with the NFL to promote the Surface. Unfortunately for Microsoft, commentators and even players couldn't help themselves from referring to the tablets as iPads. Last year, announcers referred to the Surface as an "iPad-like tablet,", while Chicago Bears quarterback called them "knockoff iPads". It happened on more than one occasion, and while you can bet that Microsoft and the NFL have been in talks with announcers and players about the goof, little progress is being made. This year, the problem persists.
The commentators are supposed to be professionals and plugging products is part of their profession. Do they fuck up the "Brought to you by Dodge: Take a stand against ordinary." plugs? No. And, if they did, they'd be getting yelled at during the next commercial break. Can you imagine if they said "Brought to you by the Toyota F-150, heartbeat of America." when the dodge logo popped up on the screen? (I just picked Dodge and their slogan out of thin air. I have no idea if Dodge advertises like that during NFL games but you get what I mean.) The tablets are a product and it's being advertised. Microsoft has paid a ton of money for this product placement and I find it hard to believe that their contract doesn't include assurances that their products will be correctly referenced a minimum number of times per game. And it probably has penalties for misidentification. Like calling their devices by the trademarked name of their biggest competitor. You don't need to be an expert on the product you're plugging to get the name right.
No matter how good, how useful a product is, if the name is stupid, it won't be remember
Take toilet paper - what brand of toilet paper can you think of?
Take sport drinks - other than Gatorade, what are the other brands you can remember?
Ice tea ... can you pronounce 'loo-zee-ann'?
Microsoft Windows successfully toppled OS/2 because the 'OS/2' name was too fucking awkward
iPad, iPhone, iPod are popular not only because of their functionality - they have crispy clear sounding name
As for Microsoft Surface? Who the fuck can remember that?
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
a) Noisy fan -- reminds you it isn't a tablet --- at least not the kind of tablet the iPad and Android are on.
b) The kind of tablet that needs anti-virus. Weeeee!
c) Battery life requires you be near a power outlet. Versus an iPad that can do several days.
d) The kind of tablet with really low market share, again reminding you it isn't an iPad.
e) The Surface, unpopular enough, the average joe thinks it is iPad.
The Surface has more in common with the kind of tablets Moses brought down from the mountain, than the energy efficient and touch oriented tablets that real people are using.
Are you talking about a tablet, the table, or the wall-mounted device?
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
Nah, a genericized trademark only happens when products are being marketed as such.
Like a Kleenex = Tissue. Microsoft isn't encouraging Surface Pro's to be called iPads, and there's nothing on the device to even suggest they are such. It would be pretty hard for anyone to claim something that isn't an iPad is an iPad since there identifying marks on the devices that say exactly what they are. There isn't on a tissue paper.
Same with "Bandaid brand bandages" People call them bandaids because there is no effective means of knowing if a "bandaid brand bandage" or "generic store brand bandage" is. Aspirin, Escalator, Laundromat are all genericized because there is no effective means of identifying the item from something of a different brand.
If you went to the Samsung store and asked for an iPad, they won't sell you a Samsung Tablet, because that's not what you asked for, and it doesn't run iOS software.
Where iPhone and iPad run the risk of genericization is when the device operating system looks too much alike, thus enabling that confusion, which is part of the reason why Samsung is insisting on being such an asshole in the intellectual property department. If they can weaken the IP around the iPad, the more they can copy, and the more "Generic" such items start to look.
The average person knows what an iPad is, they don't know what a competing tablet PC is.
Well my mum still calls a vacuum cleaner a hoover. That isn't worthy of a slashdot article either
You're kidding.
1) The surface has a joke keyboard. touchpads suck on all devices.
2) The surface has a real USB 2.0 or 3.0 port, too bad you can't do anything with it, since it would tether the device to the item attached
3) The surface "RT" runs a version of windows that doesn't run desktop windows. The Surface Pro runs a full version of windows that consumes half the hard drive.
4) You can't play games on the Surface, there are few. There are far more games for the iPad. You must be thinking of the Surface Pro which can run shovelware games but forget running any "real" game on it.
5) The surface has an adjustable kickstand. This is not a selling point, as it's just another part of the device to snap off.
6) The surface runs windows RT... which is only "more secure" because it doesn't run real windows. The iPad is more secure than the Surface Pro because Malware only infects jailbroken devices.
7) It's not easy to use any tablet device. My parents and grand parents don't own any. The only people in my family who own tablets are the preteens.
And I think point 7 nails the real problem. Anyone over the age of 12 doesn't know the difference by virtue of not using the things at home.
No, it becomes genericized when people, not the makers or stores, start calling all items of the type by the brand name of one.
Or on how much you care about being turned in an advertisment spewing sock puppet.
bickerdyke
I would bet that if the NFL had bought Surfaces intentionally with their own money they would remember what they are called. Maybe Microsoft shouldn't give people who have plenty of money free toys, and then teach them the value of a dollar instead.
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
Your facts are off. Aspirin is a lost trademark because of Bayer's actions, or rather inaction, not because you can't find a way to label an Aspirin tablet, in fact mine are, though being in the US, they have lost their trademark on that word.
Elsewhere, not necessarily.
And if I were manager of a Samsung Store, I'd expect them to try to sell a Samsung tablet if you ask for an iPad, they might not succeed, but they should try.