Microsoft Goes After Apple Users with Mac to Surface Data Transfer Tool

[Exterminator]

Microsoft Goes After Apple Users with Mac to Surface Data Transfer Tool

Microsoft has silently released a new tool called Mac to Surface Assistant, which is supposed to do exactly what its name suggests: to assist users as they make the switch from Apple’s Mac to Redmond’s own Surface.

Microsoft’s Surface lineup itself has often been positioned as a direct competitor to Apple’s MacBooks even though devices like the Surface Pro and the Surface Book are capable of doing a bit more thanks to detachable keyboards and touchscreens, and now the software giant itself is going after customers of rival products.

The Mac to Surface Assistant is a solution that’s supposed to make the transition from Mac to Surface as smooth as possible, as it lets users configure exactly what data they wish to transfer when giving up on their Apple laptop for a Microsoft 2-in-1 device.

The application was developed as a wizard, so it’s only just a matter of steps until you complete the process, though there’s something that you wouldn’t normally expect from a tool developed by the world’s number one software company. What the Mac to Surface Assistant does is create a ZIP archive with the selected user files, so instead of thousands of items, you only have to transfer a single pack from one device to another.

Basic data migration tool
This isn’t exactly the most convenient data transfer tool and at first glance, relying on cloud would be a much better choice given the fact that the transition would be performed automatically.

Of course, creating a ZIP archive with your favorite files can also be done manually, but Microsoft hopes that most users would rather prefer having an application do the whole thing without the need for browsing folders on the local drives.

Once the ZIP file is created, users can move it to an external drive, which can then be connected to the Surface and transferred to the local drives with the Surface application.

Microsoft hopes that this “easy” data transfer method would convince more users to move from Macs to Surface, though we doubt this is going to happen given the rather basic approach of the app.