Microsoft puts iPad users under the microscope

Apple fanboys invited to the dark side

Microsoft is looking for iPad-toting students to take part in a study which will no doubt shape the future of any forthcoming Microsoft tablet PCs.

The Redmond outfit, which was recently beaten into second place in the most valuable tech company rankings by arch rival Apple, is looking to glean useful user data from notoriously loyal Apple fans pertaining to their latest reassuringly expensive gadget.

The call came in the form of a Facebook event posted by the maker of Windows and is offering participants and unnamed 'Microsoft gratuity item' in exchange for being grilled over their iPad habits for around two hours.

We reckon Microsoft has a few unwanted Kin phones kicking around which it might want to get shot of, and what better way of unloading the failed handset than passing them off to Apple fanboys.

The study takes place next week, but we can't help thinking they'd get a better response from the Apple crowd if they gave away an 'Apple gratuity item' rather than trying to offload their own shoddy gear.

We also can't help wondering whether any findings will be deliberately skewed by the Mac Faithful who are well known for their anti-Microsoft stance.