Yahoo Finance Microsoft pulls 'unfunny' anti-Apple ads
Microsoft has taken down a series of video ads parodying Apple's newest iPhones just hours after they went up.
"A fly on the wall in Cupertino" depicted a series of fictional meetings at Apple's headquarters.
It featured two actors making ridiculous suggestions to an executive — seen only from behind — that some said resembled late Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
Related: New iPhones fail to impress markets, analysts
The videos, which were posted on Microsoft's Windows Phone YouTube account, were panned on social media for being painfully unfunny as well as in poor taste.
"You asked us to create the gold standard in smartphones," one of the characters says earnestly.
"We made you an iPhone that is the colour gold. Because think about it, everybody loves gold! Pirates, leprechauns ... This new iPhone is worth its weight in phone."
Related: Apple shares hit hard on iPhone disappointment
The campaign "was intended to be a lighthearted poke at our friends from Cupertino. But it was off the mark, and we've decided to pull it down," a Microsoft representative told CNET.
Rival Nokia also made waves on social media with a series of tweets poking fun at Apple when the new iPhones were launched last week.
Thanks, #Apple ;) pic.twitter.com/x4w3r8Ghcy
— Nokia UK (@nokia_uk) September 10, 2013
