Microsoft really wants you to go Surface, offers cash with MacBook Air trade-in

June 25, 2014

MacBook Air owners are being tempted by Microsoft to turn in their laptops for up to $650 in credit towards buying the company's Surface Pro 3 tablet via their U.S. and Canadian retail stores.

The trade-in offer, which lasts until July 31, doesn't offer any information on which MacBook Air models are eligble for this deal, saying only that the laptop must be capable of being powered up. The offer's fine print adds, "Water-damaged devices and devices with cracked screens are not considered working devices for purposes of this offer."

Microsoft will only offer the full $650 credit if a person brings the MacBook Air into a brick-and-mortar Microsoft Store location and used that credit to purchase the Surface Pro 3. There is no online option for this deal. Currently, only the Intel i5 versions are available for immediate purchase, with the 128GB model selling for $999 and the 256Gb version priced at $1,299.

Microsoft went to great lenghts to compare the Surface Pro 3 favorably agaist the MacBook Air when it announced the 12-inch tablet in May. Indeed, it has promoted the product as the tablet that is supposed to replace the normal laptop (with its optional Type Cover of course).

Are you a MacBook Air owner that might decide to jump ship and get the Surface Pro 3 with this $650 trade-in offer?

Source: Microsoft Store via ZDNet