Microsoft has managed to find a way of making everyone forget about the latest iPad Air release: by placing a huge Surface 2 tablet in the middle of Trafalgar Square in central London.

The tablet measured 27 feet wide and 17 feet tall, and the best thing about it? It apparently actually works.

The clever promotional tactic certainly went down well with onlookers, Londoners and tourists alike, who posted images online of the giant tablet.

Microsoft posted this on Twitter to start a ripple of interest:

Microsoft Tablet 1

The tablet attracted attention from passers by and children were invited to play on the keyboard by leaping on the keys and answering sums that appeared on the screen.

Microsoft Tablet

And for a full five minutes, everyone stopped talking about the new iPads. Well done Microsoft.