(Tech) Microsoft says MacBook is as useful as a hat for your cat

After so many years of being mocked by Cupertino, you can imagine that Redmond's been girding itself for retaliation.Now, it's decided to use Surface Pro 4 ads for the purpose.

First, there was a thorough mocking of Apple's suggestion that its iPad Pro is now a computer. Now comes outright derision of the MacBook.

A new Surface Pro 4 ad throws out pro forma niceties, in favor of cheery insults.A MacBook, says the ad, is less useful than a Surface Pro 4. "Like a hat on a cat," it insists. Microsoft will surely keep pummeling away in the hope that it can make some headway before Apple does finally release something new.

Perhaps, though, Apple will decide that the iPad Pro truly is a computer and not bother to make any new MacBooks at all.

Worse, though, when compared to the Surface the MacBook is apparently "slower, heavy and a bit square."Oh, the meanness of it all. There's even the suggestion that the Surface is "lighter than air." Is this a besmirchment of Apple's lightest MacBook? I believe it is.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

I fear, though, that few Apple types will be enamored of the music that accompanies this ad. It's a little on the jaunty side and doesn't exactly exude a premium, well, air.

Still, Apple's MacBook line is beginning to feel a touch dowdy. Indeed, the company is being subjected to quite a few suggestions that its hardware generally seems a little dated. Even Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff appeared to suggest as much on Saturday via a retweet.