Microsoft wants you to “break up with your MacBook” and upgrade to a Surface Laptop Ultra, but some of these trade-in prices seem weak
- Microsoft just launched Surface Laptop Ultra
- Urges Apple Laptop Owners to “Break Up Your MacBook and Get Up to $1,000”
- The trade-in values you’ll get for older MacBooks are low, and you’d be much better off selling second-hand products yourself.
It’s pretty clear that the new Surface Laptop Ultra is aiming to steal from MacBook Pro owners, and Microsoft makes no secret of that fact; In fact, it is trying to bribe Apple laptop users in some way.
Mashable noted that if you head to the Surface Laptop Ultra product page in the US, there’s a banner at the top where Microsoft urges people to “break up your MacBook and get up to $1,000.”
An asterisk is attached to that amount as it is a trade-in scheme where buyers of the new Surface model, at a considerable cost, can get a discount if they are willing to trade in part of their MacBook Pro. The money you will receive depends largely on the age and condition of your Apple laptop, as you would expect.
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$1,000 is the maximum payout, but you won’t receive it unless you trade in a newer, well-specced MacBook.
The typical payment is considerably less. For example, if you have a 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro with a base spec (8GB/256GB), the trade-in value is just $45. A 2023 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 chip (8GB/512GB) will set you back $275, which won’t impact the asking price of most Surface Laptop Ultra models much.
You’ll need a newer laptop to get a decent payout, like a 2024 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip (16GB/1TB), which will net you $755.
That’s a value based on the provided evaluation of the MacBook, but keep in mind that if Microsoft’s trade-in partner doesn’t think you’ve been accurate or honest, they’ll reduce the value; You can then decide whether to accept that lower offer or get your MacBook back.
This offer appears to be US only (it wasn’t available in the UK when I looked).
Analysis: a touch of desperation?
Yes, I understand that Microsoft doesn’t hesitate to go after the MacBook market, but you only have to look at the design of the Surface Laptop Ultra to realize that. I guess urging Apple fans to “break” their MacBook is supposed to be a playful or fun way to try to attract defectors to the Windows side of the OS world, but it seems a little desperate.
It’s fair enough that Microsoft wants to highlight that it has a trade-in program for those interested enough to navigate to the product page for its new, much more powerful Surface, but I think the way this is currently expressed needs to be reviewed.
I’ve been hovering over various Reddit threads today to gauge the general reaction to the Surface Laptop Ultra, and if there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that Apple owners are generally quite dismissive of Microsoft’s efforts here. Of course, those are the people most likely to be drawn to comment, as always.
Also keep in mind that while a trade-in may seem tempting in some ways, as mentioned above, the initial offer may be lowered and you’ll get more (maybe a little more) by selling the device second-hand. That’s not so easy, naturally, but it might well be worth the effort, or at least a quick try.
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