US customers can trade in Apple products for a discount. No joy for us Aussies, though., Tablets
US customers can trade in Apple products for a discount. No joy for us Aussies, though. Microsoft’s new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop range officially launched today, bringing with it an expansion to the company’s market reach and a trade-in programme for users wanting to make the leap from iOS to Windows. The Surface Pro, which has dropped the numbering scheme, is the fifth generation of Microsoft convertibles, offering substantially better performance over its predecessor and a significantly longer battery life. Microsoft has also said that an LTE version will be coming to the Store later this year. You can expect a full review on our site within the next few days, but if you’re itching to get your hands on one, it is available on the Microsoft Store starting at $1199. Microsoft’s Surface Laptop, which features a lightweight Windows 10 S operating system, is marketed at student users but quite frankly would be an excellent companion for anyone working on the go. It is best considered as a pricier alternative to a Chromebook, with the added benefit of a full Windows 10 experience. It’s also available today on the Microsoft Store, starting at $1499, and you can read our full review here. Microsoft has also said that for a limited time any Surface Laptop purchase will come with a free one-year subscription to Office 365, and 1TB of storage on its cloud service OneDrive. The Surface Studio, Microsoft’s ultra-high end workstation, is also being made available in 13 more countries following its initial release in the US. Those new territories include the Australia, China, Japan, and a host of European countries. Somewhat unusually, Microsoft is also offering a trade-in scheme for those in the US and Canada, allowing customers to exchange older tech, including Apple Macs and iPads, for up to $US850 off new Surface devices. Unfortunately, this offer is only available until 31 July 2017, and there is no indication it will be expanded to Australia.
