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Topic: Microsoft

Going viral: Millions watch Microsoft Surface crash during debut

Summary: With more than 2 million views on YouTube, the cringeworthy moment when Microsoft's Surface tablet crashes at its inaugural debut on June 18 has gone viral.

Zack Whittaker

By for Between the Lines |

You set the stage after months, if not years of hard work. It's time to inform your corporate friends and distinguished members of the media to come to Los Angeles at a moment's notice, and tell them only at the last minute exactly where to go.

Everything is shrouded in the utmost secrecy. Only a handful of people know internally what the company has up its sleeve.

Announced: the Surface tablet. Revealed on June 18, it would change the landscape of tablet computing for decades, and rival the market dominance of Apple's iPad.

Then this happened. (Warning: It's utterly cringeworthy.)

Granted, Windows president Steven Sinofsky handles it well, despite a vague sound of panic in his voice as he frantically and repeatedly pushes the Windows 'home' button.

But just over one minute of awkwardness in 2012 sends the company back fifteen years to the inaugural demonstration of Windows 98 and "that crash" that caused the crowd to erupt in hysterics.

To turn a phrase by Microsoft founder Bill Gates: maybe that's why the company didn't announce a shipping date for Surface yet?

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Topic: Microsoft

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Talkback

134 comments
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  • No different than Apple

    When Jobs was doing a keynote a few years ago they had a couple of issues because of connectivity problems. This is still beta hardware and software. If it was RTM software and hardware that was going on sale tomorrow it would be a problem.
    DJBuser
    Reply 2 Votes

    • Someone on another blog forum

      stated that "[i]Microsoft has now showed us how you can reduce the cost of ah hybrid by the correct design of vanguard and innovation..[/i]"

      By the way, the correct usage is "has shown."

      I responded with the same level of grammar: "we won't be showed nothing until they are real products we can buy and use. Then we'll see how it turns out..."

      I guess this is the preview. In many ways, I feel sorry for my friends that chose to work at MS if this is a true harbinger of the future.
      Splork
      Reply Vote

      • Go

        Ahead and wear that badge from the grammar police with honor.

        As long as the general public can read it, who cares?
        EVHGameOvR
        Reply Vote

      • If you can't properly write or speak

        then why would anyone give you credit for any level of intelligence or credibility in your viewpoint?

        Oh yeah...

        I forgot. We're not supposed to have any intelligence. That just makes it easier for the "general public" to react to sound bytes without actually using any brain cells. It's working just great in our current election cycle too.

        Excellent point and thanks for setting a good example.
        Splork
        Reply Vote

      • @Splork. In your case, correct grammar doesn't indicate intelligence

        Only making intelligent comments does that.
        Patanjali
        Reply Vote

    • Connectivity issues are not the same as

      A system crash.
      baggins_z
      Reply Vote

      • Typical users don't see it that way

        my family would just look and see the iphone not working. They're not going to start analyzing it, break it down to a faulty access point, determinimg it wasn't the phone, they would have just seen Steve Jobs [i]trying[/i] to get it to work onstage in front of thousands of people.
        William Farrel
        Reply Vote

        • Pointless rebutal though

          Because typical users are not watching the addresses and will never see them. Guess its time to try again to make them out to be equal issues.
          non-biased
          Reply Vote

      • And....

        The next thing you were going to say was "and no iPad has ever crashed and restarted"! Come on say it man, you know you want to!
        OhTheHumanity
        Reply Vote

        • What a stretch

          Nobody has ever made that claim and I would assume since you have the ability to login and post here you have enough brain cells not to believe your own comments.
          non-biased
          Reply Vote

      • It's a FAIL, Wilie! FAIL!

        Spin it all you want to.

        [b]EPIC, EPIC FAIL![/b]
        CaviarBlack
        Reply Vote

      • @william

        No, your family would see netflix not working or a web page not displaying. Your family is intelligent enough to know that this is different than an app freezing and the unit becoming unresponsive. It's sad you think your family is so stupid.
        baggins_z
        Reply Vote

      • @Oh

        Look up Tu Quoque fallacy. I would be ashamed if my defense was basically "your platform sucks so I can excuse mediocrity in mine."
        baggins_z
        Reply Vote

      • @baggins......Not exactly.....

        My point was that some have the attitude that they have chosen a product that does not do this from time to time and well thats never true, no matter how much you try. Sure some can go a long time without an issue, but one will arise at some point and depending on what is running and whatnot. I just think people need to get off their high horse and you completely misread that dude!
        OhTheHumanity
        Reply Vote

        • Wrong again

          Nobody is taking the stance the stance that their platform of choice never fails. The argument is demoing a product so early in the beta phase when critical failures are more likely. All platforms will fail from time to time because nothing is perfect.
          non-biased
          Reply Vote

      • During a major product announcement . . .

        . . . they are. If you design the hardware, you design the software, you pick the venue, you set up the network, you rehearse the demo, and the demo fails, you have screwed up.

        App freezes, hardware crashes, can't connect to the network - doesn't matter - you've screwed up somewhere, and the people who see that you've screwed up and say that you've screwed up aren't to blame.

        It isn't an Apple/Microsoft thing, it's a marketing thing. Microsoft (in this case) made a marketing move to demo what their new product can do, and they've failed. Other times it has been Apple, though Apple seems to be slicker with this kind of stuff.

        And no, I'm not an Apple fan - I own no Apple products and never have.
        sporkfighter
        Reply Vote

      • A system crash is not the same as

        A mislocated antenna.
        Lazy Crapkin
        Reply Vote

    • No different from Apple?

      That issue you mentioned had nothing to do with Apple's hardware not working or not being fully baked to present. Like you said yourself, it was Wi-Fi issues at the event (shared wi-fi).
      dave95.
      Reply Vote

      • Correct but still their issue

        You are correct that is wasn't an issue of half baked hardware/software but it was a screw up on Apple's part not to fully vet the shared Wi-Fi network or even better have a dedicated network for the demo.
        non-biased
        Reply Vote

    • Yes, here are...

      some samples:
      http://youtu.be/KsKKQNZG3rE
      http://youtu.be/oP6-cEk417Y
      ;)

      ""That issue you mentioned had nothing to do with Apple's hardware ""
      Are you sure? Watch the movie ;)
      Mr.SV
      Reply Vote
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