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Microsoft Raises Prices for All Surface PCs, Making Them More Expensive Than Equivalent Macs
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I keep a very nice 14-inch Asus Zenbook around for exactly that reason. I picked up an open-box 16GB/1TB example from Best Buy at a very friendly price a year or two ago. Light weight and works very well. Too bad it’s Windows 11.
Apple haters have lost their strongest argument. They can no longer point to high prices. Even when Apple prices are higher the products are that much better and more. Superb.
Tell me more about your internet security issues. I had a 2011 iMac until 2019 and didn’t have any apparent problem. But I’d like to hear more from you.
for PCs yes but android still offers better value than iphone
Arran
macrumors 603
Agreed. Raising the price is neither original nor creative, nor inspiring. Current geopolitical conditions won't conveniently excuse this. This is just corporate laziness.
But then without strategy, or vision, or even just plain-old planning ahead, "tactics" is the only card left to play.
ralphthemagi
macrumors regular
I was actually wondering what took Microsoft so long to destroy the Surface. First Windows, then Xbox, but they kind of left the Surface alone until now. I expect another $250 bump in a few weeks just to really make sure they tank sales permanently.
Watching Microsoft commit suicide for AI slop is one of the sadest things. I think of all the people who spent the time and energy to really turn things like Windows, Surface and Xbox into something truly great, only to watch it be destroyed almost completely in a few short years.
Microsoft increased prices for all of its Surface PCs this week, with most models priced hundreds of dollars higher than they were when launching. Windows Central highlighted the increases, which now see Microsoft's mid-range models priced above $1,000 and flagship models priced starting at $1,500.
A Microsoft spokesperson said the price increase was due to "recent increases in memory and component costs."
Microsoft's 12-inch Surface Pro, which was its cheapest modern PC at $799, is now priced starting at $1,049. The flagship 512GB 13-inch Surface Pro is $1,499, up from $1,199 when it launched in 2024 (Microsoft also discontinued a $999 256GB configuration). The 13-inch Surface Laptop went from an $899 starting price to a $1,149 starting price, while the 13.8-inch model went from $999 to $1,499 and the 15-inch model went from $1,299 to $1,599.
The 13-inch Surface Pro and the 13.8-inch and 15-inch Surface Laptop models originally launched in 2024, and Microsoft did increase prices for them in 2025, so this is the second price increase. The 13-inch Surface Laptop and the two Surface Pro models that have seen a $300 price increase launched in 2025.
Microsoft's 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 with 16GB RAM and 256GB of storage used to be $100 cheaper than the 256GB M4 MacBook Air, but now it's $400 more than the 512GB M5 MacBook Air. Apple increased MacBook Air pricing from $999 to $1,099 with the M5 upgrade, but Apple's hike came with more base SSD storage. The Surface Laptop 7 is the laptop that Microsoft says is "faster than a MacBook Air M4."
Prices have increased for all Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models, from entry-level to high-end. Microsoft's PCs are now more expensive than their Mac equivalents, which is good news for Apple. The high-end Surface Laptop 7 with 64GB RAM and a 1TB SSD is $3,649, which is more expensive than the 16-inch $3,300 M5 Pro MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. Apple's M5 Pro chip also far outperforms the Snapdragon X Elite.
Windows Central says Microsoft has new Surface PCs coming later this year, which are also expected to have the same higher prices.
Microsoft's decision to increase PC prices comes as Samsung also raised prices for some of its smartphone models and all of its U.S. tablet offerings.
Both Microsoft and Samsung are responding to increased costs caused by global memory shortages. Chip makers are prioritizing memory for AI data centers, and there is little manufacturing capacity left for consumer devices.
Article Link: Microsoft Raises Prices for All Surface PCs, Making Them More Expensive Than Equivalent Macs
And tariffs, that we pay as consumers.
To be fair if you were looking into surface, you weren’t in the market of the Neo to begin with.
I strongly suspect this has more to do with lowering competition pressure for their Windows Partners who may have to do the same than it is any kind of "Apple" thing. Microsoft still makes way more money selling Windows 11 licenses to OEM to put on their sytsems than they make from hardware. Pushing customers into other Windows vendors still leaves them on Windows.
The primary reason for Surface was more so to somewhat prod vendors into making more evolutionary stuff and counteracting the 'race to the bottom' aspects of the Windows hardware market. There is a time and proper place for that. A RAM/NAND shortage context isn't one of the contexts.
Honestly the Mac Neo might be a much better 'prod' for Windows system vendors to get their act together than Surface ever could have been in the lower space. Loosing to Surface there was low friction to win that user back next round. Loosing users to MB Neo means they may not come back after spending time and effort to leave.
Apple not sinking many 10's of Billions into datacenter spend... can probably pull off doing the opposite. Taking a hit on Neo with lower margins and pull in more share. Microsoft is already more than eyeball deep in cash spend/burn on different whole category bet of 'spend more now and maybe pay off later'.
Highly likely that the vast majority of Windows refugees that Apple scoops up do not driectly come from Surface Products. I would expect more rigidly, 'hard core' Windows folks to more likely pick Surface exactly because it is from Window's creator. Surface also doesn't have substantively high market share in the Windows market... so relatively just not that many of them in the first place. 5% of Surface users leaving is likely much smaller than 2% of HP/Dell/Lenovo users leaving Windows.
P.S. Surface has always been prices slightly higher than most of their system vendor partners to lower the 'compete' factor friction with them. If they step up in pricing, then Microsoft would have to step up higher just to keep that status quo.
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Big_D
macrumors 6502a
They never sold in high volumes anyway. But the equivalent PCs from other manufacturers have also increased by similar amounts. We were getting Dells Pro for around 800€ last year, they are over 1,000€. In the US, they have gone from $1,200 to over $2,000. And, in Q1, Dell had a 24 hour validity for offers, if you didn't confirm within 24 hours, you had to get a new quote from them. That has increased to 7 days, but still down from the month it used to be.
Lenovo cancelled a couple of orders last month, without even informing us, it was only when we queried, why the devices hadn't been delivered that we were told they weren't available and the order was cancelled.
Apple is not affected, yet, because they ordered the RAM well in advance, but future products might be affected in similar ways, as the RAM drought continues. My suppliers are saying that it won't look better before 2029, maybe 2030, at the moment. Personally, I don't think the AI built-out is sustainable for that long, they are running out of power now. Even some existing data centres aren't running at capacity, because there isn't enough power.
Azure Europe North West can't run at full capacity, until a new multi-megawatt wind farm comes online, for example.
But, whilst the Microsoft devices are now more expensive than equivalent Macs, that doesn't mean people will suddenly stop buying Windows PCs and start buying Macs, they will be holding onto their existing devices for longer, or they will be buying lower end devices (from other manufacturers, when their preferred supplier doesn't have anything in that lower price bracket). Most businesses need Windows, switching to macOS isn't an option, because their software won't run on Macs.
I run a Mac at work, but my workflow (system admin) works, just about. I have to use a couple of Windows agents anyway for some tasks, due to network and security restrictions, but all of our production and back-office users need Windows-only tools, so there is no way you could switch them, because they couldn't use the tools.
Private users are a different matter, of course, but that is a small percentage of all Surface buyers.
Mini and Studios may go up also. Depends upon when Apple ordered the RAM. Pretty good chance the MB Neo RAM was ordered early because it was a new product and Apple had to 'estimate' demand which they were purposely trying to make be higher volume. Therefore, decent chance they over estimated.
The more mature products they probably are more likely to bet on ordreing just enough RAM that they need and hardly anymore more for inventory control reason. If they waited to do that while OpenAI went in and 'drunken sailor' bought up every wafer that didn't have someones name on it, then that plan is just as 'blown' for Apple as it is for the other major system vendors who are increasing prices now.
If all of the major and most of the 2nd tier vendors all raise their prices ... Apple probably will just fall in line and use those other folks as 'air cover' to do the same on most of the line up. If those vendors are collecting more money that meains they will have more money to bid on RAM ... if Apple gets outbid they'll be stuck in the game of music chairs.
As long as investors keep giving OpenAI 10's of billions to go spend 'drunken sailor' style. It isn't going to stop any time soon.
1BadManVan
macrumors 68040
That was my concern going forward with future apple products, is they can only eat so much of this insane price hikes and eventually will have to pass more onto the consumer. Was happy they didn't with their latest round of releases so I jumped on one
Apple Knowledge Navigator
macrumors 601
I never thought I’d say it, but the MacBook Neo may just be a masterstroke from TC at al. It’s not only perfectly positioned for current component shortages, but reaches a demographic that Apple has previously neglected.
The Surface line has always been competitive with Apple. Often it’s been better hardware than Apple and in many cases had more and better features. Face id, touch screen, pen support, it took years for iPad to come close to a Surface Pro for productivity and even now the MS keyboards are better on every device. That’s all before we even get to the many Apple hardware failure modes over the years.
You may have a preference for Apple, but it’s possible to also be objective at the same time and recognise where competition does good work.
ikramerica
macrumors 68020
I can’t use my Core2 mini because of 2 factor authentication. The OS doesn’t support it. And no browsers I have installed support current web security. So I can’t get to apple or other websites to download anything more current.
I guess I need to use a UsB boot drive to try to update. Or install windows.
Hmm the recent large price rises across all of Apples products, and the removal of the high end storage and RAM options, and the fact more and more models are becoming out of stock for weeks to months would suggest no, he isn’t as good as you think…
He is not a miracle worker, all Apple has tried to do is hide the price rises and stock shortages from the customer, and it’s failed to do that now. Ironic that they launched the Neo and didn’t think it would sell like hot cakes?
When I worked at Apple for a couple of years they did the same thing in the late 80's. Different cause from than what I think has MS pulling a Scully-Stupid move. I'm surprised as I thought MS was more diverse in their product line than needing to pull this sort of thing. Proof Scully-Stupid can span decades.
B2 (;->
B2 (;->
woolypants
macrumors 6502a
I genuinely cannot see a worse use of my money than buying a Windows laptop. Right now, it feels more like they would have to pay me, and I'm not joking.
I would understand if Microsoft did this IF they have announced new hardware..but for 2-3 years old ??