“My 50th Anniversary Surface is back”: Microsoft repairs and returns the rare device after a rocky process

Rhener Furtado proudly holds a 50th Anniversary Surface Laptop featuring an elegant gold design, showcasing its stylish appearance. — Rhener Furtado, seen above holding his 50th Anniversary Surface Laptop just after winning the device, had his PC repaired and returned after it was lost by Microsoft. (Image credit: Rhener Furtado | Edited with Gemini)

One of only 50 special Surface Laptops went missing earlier this year as part of a repair process. That 50th Anniversary Surface Laptop (celebrating Microsoft's 50th birthday) belonged to Rhener Furtado, who took to Reddit to share his situation.

Furtado was assured by Microsoft that fixing his PC was a "same unit repair," but he was sent back a normal Surface Laptop 7.

The saga evolved on Reddit, spilled across social media, and kept churning in the background for weeks. I'm happy to report that Furtado has had his original 50th Anniversary Surface Laptop returned and that the PC has been repaired.

What went wrong

One of the most pressing questions surrounding this saga is "how did this happen?" Furtado was clear about the unique status of the 50th Anniversary Surface and received confirmation that the fix was a "same unit repair." If that were actually the case, the device would not have gone missing.

Furtado's device flagged a process gap in Microsoft's handling of Surface devices. The 50th Anniversary Surface Laptops were created for the US market, since that is where the sweepstakes took place. The special PCs were not flagged in the service workflow outside the US.

Furtado actually traveled from the UK to the US to pick up the device, adding to the sentimental value of the PC.

How the 50th Anniversary Surface got fixed

The very limited-edition Surface Laptop 50th Anniversary Exclusive, of which only around 50 were produced. — The 50th Anniversary Surface Laptop is as much a piece of art as it is a special PC.

After Furtado's story received enough attention, Microsoft got in touch and fixed the discovered process gaps.

I'll share part of a message from Furtado directly:

"It wasn't through the support ticket. It wasn't through the escalation team. It happened because this community spoke up, because Sean Endicott covered it at Windows Central, and because several Microsoft employees reached out to me privately."

Furtado expressed gratitude to those who reached out from Microsoft and outlets that spoke with him about the situation. I'll add to Furtado's sentiment by thanking Windows Central readers who shared and commented on the story, raising it to Microsoft's attention.

Microsoft has since flagged the units internally, ensuring that support centers around the world are aware of the devices.

What we learned about Surface

While the device getting lost caused stress, there is a silver lining to the situation. The saga highlighted how some of the higher ups at Microsoft genuinely care about Surface products. Furtado had a call with Sandra Andrews to discuss his lost device.

Andrews is Chief Marketing & Operations leader over Surface. In that call, Andrews respected the stress caused by the situation and the importance of the 50th Anniversary Surface Laptops.

Those laptops were not mass-produced in a factory. Andrews explained to Furtado that she was personally involved throughout the process and viewed the device almost like a piece of art.

Furtado has decided to keep the 50th Anniversary Surface Laptop as a collector's piece rather than using it daily. Microsoft gave him £150 of store credit to go toward purchasing a daily PC.

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Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.