Microsoft…Disloyal to customers?

Everyone was anticipating the release of the Microsoft Surface until it happened and got very mixed reviews. While the tablet looked very attractive, thin and light, it seemed the software was weak. Along with this reviews came out saying the attractive thin keyboard that was also the protection cover for the tablet was very difficult to use because of the material. The Surface also came with apps, but not even close to the amount of apps the Apple iPad has. Though the Surface is coming out with many more apps in January, it seems the hype for this product has not lived up to par.

Many customers were excited about a tablet having the Windows software, but critics are saying the software is like a split personality. There is a desktop mode that is similar to Windows 7, and then a new tiles interface but you have to continue to switch between the two interfaces.

After all of this, Microsoft got Oprah Winfrey to endorse the Microsoft Surface as one of the most desirable things. Companies get endorsers all the time to help out their products, but with all of the negative reviews do you think it is ethical that Microsoft got such a highly valued endorser when there are still many things to fix about their product? After Oprah Winfrey claims the Surface to be one of the most desirable things, many people who value her word will go and purchase this item without even thinking to look at the reviews.

And if Microsoft knows having Oprah Winfrey as an endorser will cause their sales to go up, when they still need to make the product a lot more user friendly, are they being smart for their business? Or is Microsoft being disloyal in a sense to their customers?

http://nvonews.com/2012/11/04/microsoft-surface-tablet-rt-endorsed-by-oprah-video/

8 thoughts on “Microsoft…Disloyal to customers?

  1. I think its interesting that Microsoft had Oprah Winfrey endorse the Surface. It seems as if they knew about the few issues customers would face, so they had Oprah endorse. In my opinion, it does seem a bit unethical but it was a smart move on their end when you look at the minor issues with the tablet. I agree that having Oprah endorse will eliminate many customers looking for reviews, and they will just take her word. Overall, Microsoft should of made the tablet a lot more user friendly, regardless of Oprah Winfrey’s endorsing for them, due to the high competition in the tablet market right now.

  2. In my opinion,since Microsoft windows 7 was one of the companies best product, windows 8 is an upgrade of it. Therefore Microsoft believes surface is one of their innovative and best product so far product which will fulfill customers expectations. Getting Oprah to endorse does not make Microsoft disloyal.

  3. I think that you are correct in stating that Microsoft needs to improve their product as it seems sub-par when compared to the iPads and other products on the market. However, I see no issue with them having Oprah Winfrey endorse the Microsoft Surface. They are paying a celebrity to endorse the product and people do not have to follow what the celebrity is saying. Should a bad product be forced to ask B list celebrities to endorse it simply because it is inferior? I do not think so.

  4. Apart from certain hardware issues, such as the keyboard being difficult to use, I just think people need to simply get used to using a tablet with Windows software on it. It’s not that the tablet is not user friendly and causes you to have to switch between a regular desktop on a “tiled” screen, it’s just that the new Windows 8 is designed like this. One of my family members just bought a new laptop last week which has Windows 8 on it, and I can attest that it does take some getting used to. I honestly didn’t like it at first, but with any update or improvement, people will adjust. Consumers of the Microsoft Surface should not compare it to the iPad or other tablets; it is a Microsoft tablet and will thus run differently. I do believe they should improve the keyboard and add more apps like they said they will do, but I do not think Microsoft is being disloyal to customers by using a celebrity endorser. This is a new product that is trying to differentiate itself from all the other tablets out there and gain support, so having Oprah talk about how much she loves it is a great way to get the word out.

  5. Procuring a celebrity endorsement is certainly not unethical – companies do that all the time. However, Oprah’s word carries a lot of power – just ask any of the authors who had their careers launched through her book club. Therefore, she is ultimately responsible for her recommendations. Since her endorsement is certainly not a money grab (she has enough of that), I’m sure she tried the product and felt that it was worthy of her recommendation. In regard to the Surface not living up to expectations, I’m honestly not surprised. It seems that Microsoft always releases products that aren’t perfect in order to grab headlines. I believe Bill Gates even admitted to using this strategy at some point – any press is good press, right? Of course, the Surface could end up being a legitimate misstep, but Microsoft is a good company and I’m confident they will find a way to satisfy their customers.

  6. I don’t believe Microsoft is being disloyal to their customers for this because this is a common practice when it comes to marketing. It doesn’t matter what industry someone’s in there always going to hype their product up like its the best. No one is ever going to go buy a product where the advertisement is “Well its pretty good”. That wont ever happen and getting Oprah to endorse this product is just a strategic plan used by Microsoft that helps for them sell more. This isn’t unethical in any means, if it was every business would be acting unethical with all of their advertisement.

  7. Somehow it seems just because Apple does not do things, no one else can either. It’s good that Microsoft is different in what they are doing. Oprah seems like a credible person to many people. Yes, some people might not read reviews because of it, but that does not make celebrity endorsements unethical.

    I think Microsoft it testing the water. It will learn to improve its software and tactics. Every Microsoft Windows version requires getting used to. Considering that Microsoft Windows 8 is completely different, it will take even more getting used to. Most of all, versions will only continue to improve as they are released. I think Microsoft is stepping up their game finally as they and are trying to compete with Apple, and a little competition, as we know, can’t hurt anyone.

  8. Although I believe that Oprah is a strong endorser for Microsoft to have on their team, I do not believe that this will prevent the tablet from failing in the market. There are plenty of products for sale today that have extremely famous celebrities and other famous leaders both being the face of the product and endorsing it, but this does not necessarily mean that this can increase the products performance. For example, just because LeBron James is the new face of the Samsung Galaxy in their newest commercial does not mean that consumers of this phone will be happy with their purchase if the phone has flaws in it’s software performance.
    I think Microsoft could potentially see a temporary and short-lived rise in sales from the tablet and a percentage of these sales may be due to the fact that Oprah is an endorser of the product. Although, I do not think that consumers reviews will be as pleasant as Oprah’s if the software of the tablet is not up to par as it was guaranteed by Microsoft. I think it is a terrible decision for Microsoft to release a product on the market that is clearly not ready or up to par. It won’t be too long until consumers realize that they are paying a high price for now quality.

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