Microsoft uploaded and then rapidly pulled a series of amateurish video advertisements from its Windows Phone YouTube account this week. The commercials, which were two minutes in length and low on production value, mocked Apple’s recent iPhone 5S and 5C announcements by depicting fake brainstorming sessions that highlighted the new phones’ lack of innovation. According to a post from CNET, however, the advertisements were not well received, and Microsoft quickly reacted by removing them from the web.

The ads featured two fake Apple “idea people” pitching ideas for the new iPhone to a number of executives. The videos were shot from a “fly on the wall” viewpoint from behind the executive chair, and watched as the idea experts cycled through ideas for “innovating the new iPhone.”

Most of the gags involved the iPhone 5C, a new plastic iPhone announced on Tuesday whose main selling point is giving buyers a variety of different colors to choose from. In the commercial, the male idea expert spent most of his time pitching obscure color ideas, such as “chartreuse” and “robin’s egg blue.”

While the commercials were unlikely to ever appear on television and were apparently only meant for internet use (largely due to their length and evidently quick production period), that didn’t stop social media networks from picking up on them and lambasting Microsoft for poor taste, cheap shots, and unfunny, obvious jokes. One of the executives in the scenes even resembled the late Steve Jobs, something that most viewers thought crossed a line between playful mocking and hateful harassment. At the end of the video, the hashtag #timetoswitch appeared on the screen, urging viewers to ditch the iPhone and adopt a Windows Phone instead.

CNET quoted a Microsoft representative, who stated that the short-lived advertising campaign was never meant to be any more than a “lighthearted poke at our friends from Cupertino.” The representative also stated that Microsoft quickly realized that the advertisements were “off the mark” and opted to pull them down shortly after posting. Undoubtedly, the social media uproar at the ads had something to do with the company’s decision.

But while Microsoft came under fire for their mocking commercials, they were not the only ones criticizing Apple this week. Following the announcement of the new iPhone models, many expressed disappointment at the lack of innovations or advancements, while others were extremely upset about the iPhone 5C contract price points of $100 and $200. The 5C was initially touted as a “low-end” or “budget conscious” iPhone model, but the prices keep it on about the same affordability level as iPhones have been all along.