Yes, but what's your point? Apple is at the top of the heap and so they can (temporarily) get away with hubris (at their own risk). Microsoft doesn't have that luxury in this arena...but they are apparently acting like they do.
edit to add: Actually Apple DOES show why their products are useful. From their highly publicized keynote addresses to their retail outlets. What did Microsoft do when they first introduced the Surface to consumers? Created ads with metrosexual hipsters prancing around swapping keyboards. Do you think that THAT was helpful?
You seem rather insecure with what you post!
When I observed "like the Apple mentality", I meant it as a clarification to your observation, which ran as follows: "If we make it, they'll buy it because we're Microsoft!"
But, now that you have brought up the matter, my view on this is that Apple does not really demonstrate the usefulness of their products. They sell a dream (which does not contradict the fact that their products are good - at the very least in design) which is more than evident - in your words - "from their highly publicized keynote addresses to their retail outlets".
You then mentioned: " Microsoft doesn't have that luxury in this arena...but they are apparently acting like they do."
That's nothing but your perception. What MS did with their ad campaigns during the release of the 1st Gen of Surface devices could be nothing more than an ill-thought marketing campaign. Of course, they had other problems too - like pushing to the market an unfinished OS (Win 8.0) and an unrefined device (the two 1st Gen Surface devices). Personally, I think they rushed to the market and there could be many reasons for it. Organizations may be conceptualized rationally, but they don't always operate rationally. And, knowing bits and pieces of the internal struggles and political games that were (and, arguably, are still) going on (involving Ballmer, Sinofsky and other sundry figures), it is not surprising that they took a number of (expensive) missteps. But none of this detracts from the fundamental conceptual design of what MS was/ is trying to do with the Surface.
I should also add - considering the fact that the total number of computers that run a version of Microsoft's software outstrips the total number of computing devices (and this includes iPhones, iPads, and Macs of various hues) that Apple has designed and sold, I'd say that MS effectively wields a lot of power in the marketplace - consumer and enterprise. It also reiterates the "usefulness" of MS products. In comparison, what Apple has is a very narrow slice of the market, albeit a very profitable one. But one cannot conflate the commercial success of Apple with the utility of their machines (which does not necessarily imply that their products are totally useless; Indeed, I also own a iPad4, which I find eminently useful, but in a narrow sort of a way, but useful nevertheless to the point of it contributing materially to my monthly income!).
And, to bring this back to the topic of this thread, personally, I hope the Surface (particularly, the RT version) succeeds in the market. Why? Purely because I see value in it and I appreciate its aesthetics. But this does not mean that I am blind to the shortcomings of the Surface. Though I do think the hardware is excellent, I also think that the OS (specifically Win 8.1 RT) is still not a refined product - though it is much better than what was originally released. There are still too many kinks in it which need to be ironed out. But, again, I am no oracle and this is just my opinion, which is, in the scheme of things, irrelevant.
, my use of my iPad slowly diminished over the following months, until it turned into zero. A few months ago, after having it sit on a shelf forever, I backed it up, did a factory reset and just gave it to my sister. It bores me now, but I'm eager for an upcoming Surface Pro 2. It's replacing my current laptop, and I plan to use it well in school. I don't care if it doesn't have as many apps as other platforms, I primarily plan to use it for work and stuff I currently do my laptop. To buy a tablet for play just bores me, my phone does it all in a much sleeker package.
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