When Microsoft bumped up the price of its most affordable Surface laptop, the tech giant left the door open for Apple to take over a price bracket. Now, with the MacBook Neo, the next wave of students and budget-conscious shoppers may choose macOS over Windows.
While not as exciting as leading the charge on a new form factor, making an affordable Windows laptop should be a priority for Microsoft. And it was, until recently.
Before I dive into how Microsoft's shift of Surface strategy left room for Apple, here's a quick rundown of the biggest Windows stories of the week in our Windows Wrap feature.
Weekly Windows Wrap: The Big News
Less than one year ago, Microsoft announced its own smaller laptop that was often referred to as "budget friendly." While the Surface Laptop 13-inch is a good laptop for its price point, its starting price of $899 is much higher than that of the MacBook Neo. Even the most affordable Surface Laptop 13-inch costs $100 more than the entry-level Surface Laptop Go.
The pricing of the Surface Laptop 13-inch was complicated even at launch. Our Senior Editor Zac Bowden said the laptop was "A great deal, but only if it's on sale."
It's important to note that the Surface Laptop 13-inch competes more with the upgraded MacBook Neo than the entry-level model. Those who spend $699 on Apple's new laptop get 512GB of storage and TouchID (but still 8GB of RAM).
But I'd also argue that entry-level prices matter even if the best bargain costs a bit more. Apple will get people in the door with the $599 and then those with a bit more to spend will upgrade to a better model.
That's why you often see tech with surprisingly low specs — to get you to look and eventually settle on a better option. Is it a sales tactic? Sure. But it's common for everything from buying a car to shopping for clothes.
Covering deals is a big part of my job. Our team of writers is always on the lookout for bargains on laptops, and we often find them. It's actually quite common to see a reliable Windows laptop for between $599 and $699, but those are deals, not retail prices.
Shopping with Sean
I'm quite frustrated with the landscape of deals on Windows laptops right now. I assumed that when Apple announced the MacBook Neo, PC makers would rush out a bunch of deals to compete in the $599 and $699 price bracket. Not only is that not the case, the reality is practically the opposite.
Several excellent deals on Windows laptops ended just before the MacBook Neo was announced. The ASUS Zenbook A14 was recently discounted to $599.99 but now costs $829.99. If the Zenbook A14 were on sale, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat over the MacBook Neo or just about any other laptop in that price range.
Similarly, the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1, Dell 14 Plus, and HP OmniBook 5 14 have all been on sale this year but now sit noticeably above the cost of the MacBook Neo. Most of them are listed at an even higher price than the upgraded MacBook Neo with TouchID and 512GB of RAM.
These sales illustrate my point about Microsoft leaving the door open for the MacBook Neo. Those looking for a laptop with a budget of $500-$700 are now going to see the MacBook Neo and rotating lazy Susan of Windows laptop deals — some of which are better bargains and some of which are not.
I'll keep an eye out for discounts over the coming weeks to see if a Windows laptop maker realizes the opportunity presented by Apple. For now, I've highlighted some good deals on PCs that are live (for now).
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