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Comment by Closi | Hacker News Reader

The surface laptops have ended up being good laptops and mediocre/bad tablets IMO. While technically the same on the surface, there is something about the dedicated UX of an iPad that makes it a completely different experience in reality.

If you replace an iPad you bought for $350 a year ago with a $600 surface, it will be a markedly worse experience as a tablet. Nothing has yet combined the two without comprimise - you either get a device which is a bad laptop and a good tablet, or a bad tablet and a good laptop.

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The reason being how Microsoft messed up the whole UWP delivery.

Still, I rather have the compromise in Windows, and Android DEX land, than carrying two devices, with Apple margins.

Considering you can pick up both a new Macbook Neo AND an iPad from Apple for $200 less than the price of the cheapest (non refurbished) Microsoft Surface you can get from Microsoft, I'm not fully sure the 'apple tax' still exists when comparing to a surface.

Microsoft Store: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-lapt... - $1,149

Apple Links: https://www.apple.com/macbook-neo/ - $599 https://www.apple.com/ipad-11/ - $349

I'm sure there are much cheaper places you can get a surface - but comparing MSRP to MSRP for the new models is a much plainer comparison, particularly as it's often difficult to see if you are looking at an older model with Windows PCs.

Unlike Apple, Surface isn't the only option, it is only a beacon how PC hardware should look like.

Neo is a robbery for a 8 GB device, especially in Europe.

Besides you missed the part of carrying multiple devices.

I don't know what price point you are shopping at, but if you think Neo is 'robbery' I think you are being unfair considering the type and quality of device you can get at the same price point - lots of laptops at the £599 price point are total junk.

Just looking at 8gb doesn't tell you the whole picture - that's like just looking at how many litres a cars engine is as the only part of determining if a car is good or not.

800 euros for 8 GB and 512 SSD powered laptop in 2026 is robbery, regardless how it gets packaged.

And if I want to go with 256 SSD, which is a ridiculous SSD size also in 2026, my Thinkpad had it back in 2014, it is still 700 euros.

As for the Apple distortion field regarding its high quality, unfortunately many people do tend to discover why paying, even extra on top of those 800 euros, for Apple Care matters.

> 800 euros for 8 GB and 512 SSD

For me it’s not about the numbers It’s 800€ for a laptop that’s not total junk. I could probably get the same 8 or 16 and 512 numbers in cheaper laptops, but they would be [what I would consider] sad annoying plastic junk.

It is all about the numbers, don't judge a book for the cover.

800 euros plus Apple Care, for 8 GB, 512 SSD, a phone SOC and Tahoe bugs, no thanks.

What I see is 800 EUR for a sturdy body, a solid screen, a solid keyboard and good battery life. That's the baseline for what I want in a laptop. Only after these boxes have been checked, we can start talking numbers. And you know what, even 8 and 256 is still perfectly usable for me. Two years ago I was still using a MacBook Air with 256 GB SSD, happily. Now my wife is using it, happily.

What I see is a phone motherboard packaged inside an expensive keyboard and screen, with Apple glitter.

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