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Trade in MacBook Air, Get $650 for Surface Pro 3

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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Microsoft is offering up to $650 in store credit for those who trade in their MacBook Air and purchase a Surface Pro 3.

From now until July 31, MacBook Air users can bring their laptops to a Microsoft Store in the U.S. or Canada, and get a credit that they can use to purchase Redmond's latest Surface tablet.

To be eligible for a trade-in, a MacBook Air must power on, and not have any water damage or cracked screens.

When Microsoft introduced the Surface Pro 3, Panos Panay, head of Microsoft's Surface division, touted the device as "the tablet that can replace your laptop." Panay compared the Surface Pro 3 to the 13-inch MacBook Air, and said the Surface Pro 3 allows for 6 percent more content on the display than the Apple laptop, despite having a smaller 12-inch display.

In PCMag's review, we found that the Surface Pro 3 "isn't exactly the ultimate melding of laptop and tablet, at least not in its current iteration," thanks to its bulky frame and the fact that the keyboard add-on costs $130 extra.

It does, however, come with a pressure-sensitive stylus, and sports a 12-inch, 2,160-by-1,440-resolution display.

The Core i5 version of the tablet arrived in the U.S. and Canada on June 20 starting at $799. The Core i3 and i7 versions are set to arrive on Aug. 1. By the end of August, the new Surface will roll out in Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

Microsoft, meanwhile, ran a similar trade-in deal last year, offering $200 to those who traded in their iPad for a new Surface.

For more, see PCMag's full review of the Surface Pro 3 (slideshow above) and the Type Cover.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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