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The simple reason Microsoft's new laptop won't make Mac owners switch

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Microsoft's new Surface Book. Microsoft

On Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled its first-ever laptop.

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It's called the Surface Book, and it comes with a detachable 13-inch display that can double as a tablet. The physical design is sleek and eye-catching. It looks like the best Windows laptop ever made.

The natural comparison to be made with the Surface Book is of course Apple's MacBook, which Microsoft claims it's beaten with 50% faster performance. But even if the Surface Book was faster than the MacBook and the best laptop/tablet hybrid in the history of computing, it's not a threat to Apple whatsoever.

Here's why.

The Surface Book runs Windows 10, Microsoft's one-size-fits-all operating system that powers its phones, tablets, and PCs. It's an entirely different approach to software from Apple's.

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The Mac runs OS X, and the iPhone and iPad run iOS. Apple's two software platforms share many similarities, like several of the same default apps, but they are designed differently on a fundamental level. iOS is designed with a touchscreen in mind, while OS X is designed for a keyboard and trackpad.

Apple executives maintain the philosophy that people want to use different devices, like a laptop and tablet, in different ways. CEO Tim Cook has said that Microsoft's strategy of using the same software on PCs and tablets is like converging "a toaster and a refrigerator."

Whether you agree with that notion or not, the numbers speak for themselves. Below is a look at global tablet shipments by vendor from BI Intelligence.

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That little dark blue line is Microsoft Surface sales. BI Intelligence

Meanwhile, Apple has the most valuable marketplace for apps in the world, and the Mac is the only PC that's actually increasing in market share during this volatile time for the industry.

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People who use Apple's products are heavily invested in its software ecosystem — iMessage, iCloud, the App Store, etc. — and that's why the company has boasted the most loyal customer base in the industry for years.

The Surface Book isn't going to create legions of Mac or iPad defectors because it has sexy hardware and fast specs. If someone wants a toaster combined with a refrigerator, as Apple CEO Tim Cook once called hybrids, it looks like the best device for the money. But otherwise, people are going to keep buying toasters and refrigerators.

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