Microsoft Unveils Cheapest Surface Laptop in Bid to Woo Schools From Google

(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. unveiled the cheapest-ever version of its Surface laptop computer, along with a new version of Windows software tailored to schools, trying to gain ground against Google’s Chromebook in the education market.

The Surface Laptop SE will start at $249, with an 11.6-inch screen and as much as 16 hours of battery life, the company said Tuesday. Microsoft partners such as Acer Inc. and Dell Technologies Inc. will also make new laptops for classrooms using Windows 11 SE, a version of the newest operating system software designed for schools. The program is intended to compete with Chrome from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, the U.S. market leader in the K-12 education space.

Microsoft has been trying to push down the prices of  Surface devices, and has worked with partners on low-cost notebook PCs targeted at classrooms. Schools are increasingly choosing to outfit students with Google’s Chromebooks, leading large numbers of U.S. students to grow up more familiar with that company’s operating system and office programs than Microsoft’s long-dominant Windows and Office.

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