Apple’s MacBook Neo is priced at $600 (or $500 for students) against affordable Windows laptops, and it looks like Microsoft has its first response ready. The newly announced “Microsoft College Offer” is a bundle of Microsoft 365 Premium, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a custom Xbox controller, and a discounted laptop that the company thinks can lure students away from Apple’s new deal.
With purchases of a discounted machine directly from retailers like Microsoft, Amazon and Best Buy or from PC makers like HP, ASUS and Acer, you can get an additional $500 value from its bundle, according to the company. Laptop deals include the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x with a Snapdragon Or if you want something even cheaper, Walmart is selling the HP Omnibook 3 for $429, which is $270 off its usual $699 price. Microsoft is less generous with deals on its laptops and tablets, but you can also get a discount on the Surface Laptop as part of the offer.
A discounted laptop is great, but it becomes harder to define the value of the Microsoft college offer with the number of services the company is packing. Normally getting a $200 year-long subscription to Microsoft 365 Premium for free is a worthwhile deal, but many colleges offer their students access to Microsoft’s apps (and other software) with the cost of their tuition. One year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $30 per month until October 2025, sounds like a significant savings, but the offer is only valid for new subscribers. This leaves the free custom Xbox controller as the simplest bonus of the group, valued at about $76.
Windows PC makers are expected to make a more serious effort to compete with the Neo next year. However, for now, the Microsoft college offer isn’t exactly a bad deal, but it’s certainly not as attractive as an Apple-quality laptop with a college discount for $500.
The Microsoft College Offer is available to students starting April 15 and will run through June 30, 2026. Microsoft says payment for the entire bundle of services and accessories offered by it must be made by July 31, 2026.
<a href