Microsoft has been getting more and more aggressive in their fight against Apple, and it’s not just in terms of the products they choose to develop. They have become explicitly vocal about it, and it looks like they are not the least bit worried about how the other camp would retaliate.

The latest in their open attacks against Apple came in the form of a joke – a swipe towards the Apple Pencil, an optional accessory to the iPad Pro.

Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for all devices, Panos Panay, found the chance to joke about the Apple Pencil when he made the announcement about the upgraded stylus of the Surface Pro 4. “It’s kind of funny, there’s a Pencil out there without an eraser,” he says.

The Apple Pencil

And it actually IS true. The Apple Pencil, in all its stylish glory, actually does not have any eraser. The Apple Pencil gives more weight to what people have been buzzing about in the past months – that not only is the iPad Pro a move to try and bump Microsoft’s Surface Pro out of the picture, but also a way for them to get into the market where creatives and designers shop.

Of course, as any Apple product, the attention of the general public initially went towards how it looked, as opposed to what it can do. And the Apple Pencil definitely looked good.

If you were to ask the pros what it can do for them however, the reaction was mixed. The Pencil is extremely light, which means that it is also easier to use. It is also a lot slimmer, so it allows you to use it without obstructing the design you are working on.

Aside from these however, one problem that designers see is their ability to use Adobe software like Photoshop. The iPad version of the Adobe Creative Suite is not as efficient as its Windows versions, and with the Surface Pro 4 jumping right into the picture, then the Pencil is easily overshadowed.

The Surface Pro 4 Pen

Looking at the new Surface Pro 4 stylus, it seems like Apple could have a few problems with this.

Compared to past models, and compared to other players like the Wacom Cintiq, this looks more like a real pen, which keeps it at par with the Apple Pencil in terms of styling.

Add to that its amazing response and the fact that you can use it on a Microsoft gadget, and you have a winner. Every Microsoft tablet allows users to enjoy full desktop apps, which means that these would prove to be more useful for designers and creatives. Adobe has also been improving the user experience for Windows users, which could put the Surface Pro and its stylus way ahead of the competition.

As far as stores that sell electronics, they sure know that both contenders would probably have their own share of the market. As for Microsoft’s joke, it looks like they have every reason to be this confident about their new release.