Short: At its iPhone SE launch event, Apple compared its new iPad with older Windows computers and called it a perfect PC-replacement. In this process, Apple’s marketing VP Phill Schiller went on to call the old Windows PCs “sad”. As a result, the company had to face widespread criticism in media and social networks.
Yesterday, at its Spring Event 2016, Apple launched its cheapest iPhone yet in the form of iPhone SE. As usual, the Apple event attracted its fair share of controversy. While Apple launched some new and shiny products, the it didn’t refrain itself from making fun of Windows users.
So, here’s how it happened — At the event, everything was going fine. Apple’s worldwide marketing VP Phill Schiller said, “The majority of people coming to the iPad Pro are coming from a Windows PC. This is an amazing statistic.” Then, he took a moment to take a jab at the Windows users.
“There are over 600 million PCs in use today that are over five years old. This is really sad. These people could really benefit from an iPad Pro,” he said.
While Apple likes to launch multiple iDevices in a single year, there are a number of reasons why people choose not to buy a new PC. Talking about these reasons, the first and foremost one is the cost factor. There are so many people out there who can’t afford to buy a new PC. Instead, they choose to upgrade their PCs with new components and extend its life.
This insensitive comment made by Apple VP also contradicts company’s environment-friendly initiative. While “older” desktop PCs are upgradable machines, Apple constantly lures the users into buying new gadgets,
Well, Schiller is a marketing guy and it’s his job to make such statements to impress Apple shareholders. Whatever the case may be, the Twitter users were quick to slap Apple:
Apple has no chill ?
People use those “Sad PCs” for gaming.. You can have 10x the power in a custom built PC. pic.twitter.com/PeWrcgC3vP— Q@@O (@Qatatoism) March 22, 2016
If it PC replacement, shut down Macbook lineup too no? #AppleEvent
— Lakshmi Rajan (@lakshmirajan) March 21, 2016
Apple's Phil Schiller '600 million Windows PCs that haven’t been upgraded in the past five years is really sad' is elitist ignorant speak
— Brian Burgess (@mysticgeek) March 22, 2016
Calling the iPad as the ultimate PC replacement is the biggest joke of the #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/EngW6rMFO7
— Arun Gopalaswami (@arunone) March 21, 2016
@katiaA07 They did…they said that anyone who uses a PC that's more than 5 years old is sad. Sorry Apple, but we're not all rich.
— phampants (@phampants) March 22, 2016
Apple asshole saying a "PC 5 years old is really sad", you can fuck off and take your iPad shit with you too. #AppleEvent
— ??❗®? (@realfakeAkira) March 21, 2016
Apple says it's sad that people are using really old PCs. So is this Apple admitting that PC hardware is reliable?
— ® © Høðgé§ (@baldy_hodges) March 22, 2016