Microsoft ads claim Windows 7 tablet is 'full computer', unlike iPad

Microsoft is starting to promote the current generation of Windows 7 tablets, including the Asus Eee Slate, with video ads that cock a deliberate snook in Apple's direction.

A character in one of the videos -- an artist no less -- explains why he opted for a Windows 7 slate rather than... well, it's left unsaid, but the clear implication is that he doesn't think much of the iPad 2. 

"The good thing about the Eee Slate is it's a full computer -- you know, it's Windows 7. I've got everything I need. I'm not limited to, like, what applications I can put on it and I don't have to go to an app store. I put Photoshop on this thing," says the fellow in question.

Here's the ad:

There may well be a market for tablets running Photoshop among artists and designers -- it's a fine form factor for creative work after all -- but we sense that, if Apple chief Steve Jobs watches the ads, he'll cackle in delight. Does Steve Jobs cackle? Someone should email him to find out.

The point is that the ads show a clear philosophical difference between Microsoft and Apple concerning what -- and who -- a modern tablet is for. When unveiling the iPad 2, Jobs' very last words focused on exactly this point: "A lot of folks in this tablet market are rushing in and they're looking at this as the next PC. Hardware and software are done by different companies and they're talking about speeds just as they would with PCs. Every bone in our body says this is not the right approach."

Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer's bones appear to be saying it is the right approach. Who's right? There's only one way to find out: comment fight! By which we mean: let us know your opinions in the comments section below.