Microsoft is taking another jab at Apple in its latest commercial, this time pitting its Cortana virtual assistant against Apple's Siri.
Cortana is Microsoft's answer to Apple's Siri and Google Now, and it has drawn plenty of attention since its unveiling. While it has yet to reach all markets, Microsoft is pretty confident that its assistant has what it takes to beat rivals. Cortana has been the star of some recent Microsoft commercials and the latest one now takes on Siri with a brief "mirror mirror" comparison featuring the iPhone 5S and the new HTC One M8 for Windows.
"The new HTC One (M8) for Windows is more than just another pretty face. Sure, it has a sleek, brushed aluminum body and stunning 5" 1080p HD display. But now that it comes with Cortana, it's got even more brains and beauty," Microsoft touts in the video's description on the Windows Phone YouTube page. "Cortana can do all sorts of things to make your day easier - like tell you when you leave to beat traffic to help you make appointments on time. Which makes you look pretty good, too. The HTC One (M8) for Windows. Now with Cortana."
As always in such commercials, it's not a side-by-side comparison of all the features each digital assistant has to offer. Instead, it focuses on the aspects in which one assistant is clearly better than the other. The new video, for instance, touts how Cortana has two speakers that make "her" sound great, to which Siri replies with a disappointed voice that she only has one...and she's sitting on it.
This is not the first time that Microsoft mocks Apple in one of its commercials, and it will most likely not be the last time either. Jokes and rivalry aside, Cortana really is quite an impressive digital assistant, and the HTC One M8 for Windows definitely holds its own as well.
Microsoft's mobile platform has come a long way and is rapidly catching up to rivals, trailing only Android and iOS in an increasingly competitive mobile space. The HTC One M8 for Windows is a notable new player for the Windows Phone ecosystem, which has been dominated by Nokia Lumia devices so far.
It remains to be seen whether the Windows Phone version of the smartphone will be as successful as the original model running Google's Android, but Cortana is definitely a big plus. Check out the video below to see Microsoft's latest commercial.
