Cook off: Apple CEO insults the Microsoft Surface tablet calling it "confusing" and "comprimised"

Apple CEO Tim Cook calls the Microsoft Surface confusing

Can Apple feel so threatened by a tablet that has yet to launch that its CEO is already insulting it? During Apple's Q4 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook not only defended the Apple iPad mini, but took some shots at the Microsoft Surface on the eve of the slate's launch. Cook called the Surface compromised and confusing saying that Microsoft did not make the "hard tradeoffs" that Apple did when designing the user experience for the iPad.

Microsoft is releasing two versions of the Surface tablet. The Microsoft Surface (8 Pro) is basically a mobile version of the desktop PC with Intel inside. The Microsoft Surface RT is the version that competes with Cook's Apple iPad since it has an ARM powered quad-core 1.3GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 under the hood and presents more of the tablet experience that users get from the Apple iPad and Android tablets. Unlike the iPad, the device offers a kickstand and docks with one of two different types of optional physical QWERTY keyboards that also double as a cover for the device.

The base model of the Microsoft Surface offers 32GB of storage for $499 while adding the Touch Cover with the touch-sensitive QWERTY brings the price to $599. The Apple iPad 4, as a comparison, will cost $499 for 16GB of storage.

"What we’re reading is that it’s a fairly compromised, confusing product. One of the toughest things you do when making a product is to make hard tradeoffs. That’s what we’ve done with the iPad, and the resulting user experience is incredible. You could design a car that flies and floats, but I don’t think it would do either of those things very well. … People will look at the iPad and at competitive offerings, and I think they’ll conclude the iPad is the better choice."-Tim Cook, Apple CEO