The iPad vs the Surface Pro. We could argue till we’re blue in the face over which platform’s better, but there’s one thing that isn’t in any doubt – the vast majority of consumers prefer fruit-branded tablets rather than anything that runs Windows 8.

Sales of the Surface have been disappointing in comparison to those of iPads and Android tablets, but that hasn’t stopped Microsoft’s Bill Gates from believing. On the contrary, Microsoft’s part-time leader remains as confident as ever that his company’s tablets will eventually surpass Apple’s offering, claiming that the Surface is the answer to thousands of iPad users who are growing “frustrated” with its limitations.

Gates made his points during an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box show, where he appeared alongside long-time friend and fellow multi-billionaire Warren Buffet. Asked about declining PC sales and the rise of tablets, he insisted that the iPad’s days as top dog are numbered.

“Windows 8 is revolutionary in that it takes the benefits of a tablet and the benefits of a PC, and it’s able to support both of those – so if you have Surface, Surface Pro, you’ve got that portability of a tablet but the richness of a PC in terms of the keyboard, Microsoft Office of a PC.”

“With Windows 8, Microsoft is trying to gain share in a market that has been dominated by the iPad-type device. But a lot of users are frustrated, they can’t type, they can’t create documents, they don’t have Office there. We’re providing them something with the benefits they’ve see that have made tablets a big category, but without giving up what they expect in a PC.”

Why Gates is WRONG

The main thrust of Gate’s argument seems to be that the iPad’s lack of a physical keyboard is its biggest detractor, but that’s exactly where he falls flat on his face. He’s right when he says that typing on a touchscreen device is far slower than using a real keyboard. Touch screen keyboards work, but they offer nowhere near the same kind of tactile response that a real keyboard provides.

Gates points out that both flavors of the Surface – the Pro and the RT – come with keyboard attachments that make them far more productive than iPads. Furthermore, the Pro can also run Microsoft Office, which remains the undisputed office suite around, plus tons of other productivity apps (anything that runs on Windows 7, basically).

All well and good, but Gates completely ignores the fact that there’s an entire industry out there dedicated to peripherals that support not just the iPad, but just about every tablet there is. Zagg and Logitech are two names that immediately spring to mind, both offering decent keyboard attachments for under $100. Consumers have many other choices besides these. Moreover, not only does Gates ignore this, but he also forgets to mention that the Surface’s keyboard attachments do not come as standard – they’re optional extras, just like any iPad keyboard is – costing $100 or $129.99 for the Surface RT and Pro respectively.

Then there’s Gates’ comments about Office (which, by the way, would seem to indicate Microsoft has no intention of releasing an iPad version). It’s clear enough from Apple’s overwhelming domination of the tablet market that people are happy to make do without it. Office might be the best, but there are plenty of alternatives out there that users can get by with. The fact that Apple sold 19.5 million iPads in Q1 compared to just 900,000 Surfaces over the same period confirms this much.

Gates is right enough when he says that the Surface gives users what they expect on a PC, but that comment missed the point. The iPad and its Android variants are all so entrenched now that consumers have become used to them – most no longer expect a PC-like experience, and the number of people that do isn’t as large as Microsoft had hoped. It’s almost a question of ideology if you like. Microsoft’s concept of tablets being portable PCs is at odds with consumer’s idea that tablets are basically just jumbo-sized smartphones. Regardless of which approach is better, most people have already accepted the existing norm, and they won’t change their minds easily. Unless, as many claim, the distinction between PCs, tablets and smartphones slowly dissolves, Microsoft is going to have to do a lot more than just throw in a few keyboards and Office if it wants to steal Apple’s market share.