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The man behind the Microsoft Surface admits he made one big mistake when revealing it

Panos Panay
Panos Panay holds a Surface Book on stage at Microsoft's October 6 event. Mark Von Holden/AP Images

Panos Panay, the man behind the Surface line, has admitted that he made one big mistake when unveiling the original device that has haunted him ever since: it wasn't explained to the media correctly. 

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In an interview with The Verge, Panay said that "when we [Microsoft] launched the original Surface Pro, people compared it to an iPad, because I didn't frame it." This lead to an unfair comparison. He told Mashable that "the press...grabbed [the Suface] and were like...'look at this, it’s thicker, it’s heavier.'" 

When Microsoft unveiled the Surface Book, the first slide shown — before anything else — was a picture of the Book next to a MacBook Pro, clearly laying out the comparison that the media, and consumers, should make. 

Panay also went on to take a dig at the iPad Pro, describing it as "familiar" when compared to the Surface. "The iPad Pro looks like a great product. At the same time it looked familiar. I haven't seen it, I haven't touched it. All I've seen is a launch event, so I've got to reserve my judgment." 

Microsoft
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