Oprah praises Microsoft’s Surface tablet from an iPad

Oprah appears to be a fan of Microsoft's new Surface tablet, but she was caught using its biggest rival to share the message.

While some holiday shoppers may be pondering which tablet to snag this season, Microsoft’s Surface has gained one colossal supporter: Oprah Winfrey. Well, sort of.

“Gotta say love that SURFACE! Have bought 12 already for Christmas gifts. #FavoriteThings,” she tweeted on Nov. 18.

However, there is a subtle hint of irony embedded in the renowned television show host’s tweet that careful observers were sure to note. Oprah praised Microsoft’s first self-branded tablet from an iPad.

Zagg was one of the first to make this observation on Monday, and Oprah’s social media post has since garnered attention from The Los Angeles Times, CNET, TIME, and Tech Crunch among other media outlets. Oprah’s pro-Surface tweet has spawned 418 retweets to her legion of more than 14 million followers since then.

This isn’t the first time a celebrity has publicly endorsed one of Microsoft’s mobile products. During the company’s Windows Phone 8 event at the end of October, CEO Steve Ballmer introduced silver screen superstar Jessica Alba as an avid supporter of the new mobile operating system. Soon after, No Doubt front woman Gwen Stefani also appeared in an ad for Windows Phone 8. It remains unclear if this attention from Hollywood will do much to bolster Windows Phone 8 or Surface sales this holiday season, but it certainly has sparked some attention.   

Microsoft has yet to reveal any specific sales numbers for the Surface, but Ballmer previously told a French newspaper that Microsoft’s tablet is off to a “modest” start. (We look forward to hearing the updated sales now that Oprah has bought 12 of them.)

The Redmond, Wash.-based company later issued a statement regarding Ballmer’s words, saying that Microsoft’s approach to selling the Surface has been modest, while “reception to the device has been fantastic.”