A desperate iPad trade-in promotion from Microsoft outlined as “Trade in your iPad, Get a min. $200 gift card” on its online store, can get you a minimum of a $200 gift card to the Microsoft store, in case you decide to bring in your gently used iPad 2, 3, or 4 for an exchange with Microsoft Surface RT or Microsoft Surface Pro tablet (via ZDNET). Well, whoever is behind this apparently insane idea, I’m pretty sure it can’t be the company CEO, who has already announced he will be retiring within the next 12 months or so.
Previously, Microsoft has been emphasizing the business-readiness of Windows 8 devices, as well as their lower prices as compared to the iPads with a series of recent ads. While, some might say Microsoft has kicked up a notch its competition with Apple’s iPad with this “limited time trade-in offer”, though I personally believe it’s the most desperate I’ve seen Microsoft since the good old days of Bill Gates.
Microsoft’s so called “What a deal” (see image above) began on September 5th and will run until October 27, 2013. The fine print says that the deal is available in “select Microsoft retail stores in US (including Puerto Rico) and Canada” but it isn’t available online.
Well, what do you guys think about this?
