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Microsoft Surface tablets ‘fail’ spectacularly during live NFL broadcast

Published Jan 25th, 2016 7:50AM EST
Microsoft Surface Fail

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The old adage of there’s no such thing as bad publicity might very well be a rule of thumb for celebrities, but it certainly doesn’t apply to tech companies. Microsoft yesterday learned that the hard way during the NFL’s AFC Divisional Playoff game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots.

During the Patriots’ first drive of the second quarter, word began to spread that the team’s Microsoft Surface tablets were refusing to boot up. As a result, the Patriots coaching staff were unable to review pertinent plays on the sidelines, thus preventing them from making fully informed play calls (or so Patriots fans would have ou believe). Not only that, but Microsoft’s Surface failure even made it onto the national broadcast of the widely watched game.

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When word of the Surface failure spread, Microsoft’s team on the ground was quick to spring into action. Ultimately, they found that the source of the problem was a connection issue rather than any problem with the Surface hardware itself.

“Our team on the field has confirmed the issue was not related to the tablets themselves but rather an issue with the network,” Microsoft said in a statement. “We worked with our partners who manage the network to ensure the issue was resolved quickly.”

Still, folks on Twitter still couldn’t help but chime in with scathing remarks about Microsoft’s purportedly non-functioning tablets.

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Microsoft back in 2013 paid the NFL $400 million to ensure that its Microsoft Surface would remain the “Official Tablet of the NFL” for a period of five years.

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Yoni Heisler Contributing Writer

Yoni Heisler has been writing about Apple and the tech industry at large with over 15 years of experience. A life long expert Mac user and Apple expert, his writing has appeared in Edible Apple, Network World, MacLife, Macworld UK, and TUAW.

When not analyzing the latest happenings with Apple, Yoni enjoys catching Improv shows in Chicago, playing soccer, and cultivating new TV show addictions.