Microsoft’s Surface Book is a great laptop, but it’s also very expensive. If you don’t have that kind of cash on you, you might want to try out Microsoft’s new Surface Membership.
It’s pretty much what it sounds like: you can lease a Surface 3, Surface Pro 4, or Surface Book instead of buying the entire thing outright. Prices range as low as $33 installments over a period of 30 months for the lowest end Surface 3, to as much as $220 a month for the 16GB RAM, 1 TB storage Surface Book over 18 months.
That laptop normally costs $3200, so you’ll be paying several hundred dollars more over the course of the lease. There are some perks though, including accidental damage coverage, hardware and software discounts, and one-on-one training sessions – not to mention the ability to upgrade to the next Surface whenever that comes out.
Microsoft’s clearly aiming the membership at businesses who need to order several laptops, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see some consumers sign up as well; Apple introduced the iPhone Upgrade Program last year for a reason. Laptops and tablets may not inspire quite the same upgradeitis that cellphones do, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see these type of subscriptions pop up more often.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
For more pricing details, check out Microsoft’s Surface Membership Plan page.
Via Ars Technica
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.