Apple's Cook slams Microsoft Surface Book

Apple CEO lays into rival's kit at Irish event

Apple's chief executive Tim Cook has laid into rival Microsoft's Surface Book device, claiming it fails to straddle the tablet and notebook category.

Cook has been visiting Ireland this week, and yesterday the Irish government announced that Apple will create 1,000 new jobs in the country over the next year, as reported by CRN sister site Channelnomics Europe.

Cook was speaking to students at a Dublin university when he made his catty comments about Microsoft.

According to the Irish Independent, Cook said Apple and Microsoft's partnership – through which Office is available on iPad – is "really good", but the pleasantries ended there.

On Microsoft's Surface Book, which was unveiled last month but will not be available until next year, Cook was cutting.

"It's a product that tries too hard to do too much," he said. "It's trying to be a tablet and a notebook and it really succeeds at being neither."

Cook (pictured) then described the product as "sort of deluded", but Apple press representatives later clarified that he meant to say "diluted".

Microsoft has been touting its Surface devices as laptop replacements since they first arrived on the market. But it claims the Surface Book is "the ultimate laptop", giving users the ability to edit photos, sketch, make music and create videos.

Microsoft's European channel is facing a wait of up to six months to get its hands on the Surface Book.

Apple announced earlier this week that "select" Authorised resellers will be able to sell the iPad Pro – its first business-focused device – later this week.