In May, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Laptop, a premium notebook with a keyboard covered in luxurious Alcantara fabric. It was also the first device to launch with Windows 10 S, a new edition of the OS that's restricted to running apps downloaded from the Windows Store, although a free upgrade to Windows 10 Pro is also available until the end of 2017.
The Surface Laptop became available to purchase in mid-June, and now - just three months later - Microsoft has begun offering promotional discounts on the device. However, you should resist the temptation to interpret that as an indication of weak sales; in fact, this is pretty much in line with Microsoft's broader Surface pricing strategy.
The company tends to attach premium price tags to its Surface devices, and then regularly offers significant discounts to entice buyers. Its first Surface Pro 4 discounts came three and a half months after the device launched in 2015, with new deals continuing to arrive every few weeks after that. At one point in the UK earlier this year, the Microsoft Store had five separate deals available on the Surface Pro 4 at the same time.
For its first Surface Laptop offer, Microsoft is giving buyers a $150 discount on the device when purchased with a Surface accessory priced above $79. The deal is only available on the entry-level Surface Laptop, which is priced at $999 before the discount, and includes these key specs:
- 13.5-inch PixelSense display with 2256x1504px resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- 7th-generation (Kaby Lake) Intel Core i5 processor
- 4GB RAM
- 128GB storage
- Intel HD Graphics 620 or Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- Ambient light sensor
- 720p webcam
- Windows Hello facial recognition
- TPM chip
- 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A port
- 1 x Mini DisplayPort
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 308 x 223 x 14.5mm; 1.25kg
The deal requires users to build their own bundle; sadly, the deal only includes the Laptop in Platinum, as the entry-level model is not offered in the Graphite Gold, Cobalt Blue or Burgundy color options that are available on higher-end variants of the device.
When you add the Laptop to the bundle, a $150 discount is immediately applied to the device, after which you can add your chosen accessory at full price. Unfortunately, several of the accessories that Microsoft has included in the deal are out of stock (those not available are struck through in the list below):
Surface Pen (Platinum) - $99.99- Surface Arc Mouse (Light Gray) - $79.99
Surface Arc Mouse (Burgundy) - $79.99Surface Arc Mouse (Cobalt Blue) - $79.99Microsoft Arc Mouse (Black) - $79.99- Surface Keyboard - $99.99
- Surface Ergonomic Keyboard - $129.99
- Surface Dock - $199.99
- Surface Dial - $99.99
- Surface 65W Power Supply - $79.99
The Surface Laptop comes with a one-year Office 365 Personal subscription - but confusingly, Microsoft is also inviting users to buy another Office 365 Personal sub for $49.99 more as an additional part of the bundle. A $79.99 Office 365 Home subscription, and $149 Microsoft Complete care package, are also available as extra add-ons.
The bundle offer will remain available until August 26 - but now that Microsoft has opened the door to deals on its Surface Laptop, you can bet there'll be plenty more showing up in the weeks and months ahead.
Source: Microsoft Store
1 Comment - Add comment