The announcement comes a week after the company stated that it would stop production of its Surface 3 devices by year end.
“So [it´s] basically a free Xbox One with the purchase of a Surface Pro 4,” Terry Myerson, head of Windows and devices at Microsoft, told The Verge in an interview. The student offer starts today and will run until August 14th.
Microsoft initially targeted the Surface 3 for students who are looking for a cheaper model of the Surface Pro devices.
It is not yet known whether a new model will take its place. However, word has it that Microsoft plans to do a refresh of its Surface Book and Surface Pro devices next year.
When asked about plans for an October 10 update as there are for Xbox One updates, Myerson said that they would increasingly have plans as they go into the fall. He added that it's a natural time for them “to focus on new devices from [their] partners and from Microsoft.”
With new gaming equipment being released by Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, and HP this year, Tom Warren of The Verge speculates that Microsoft may also be launching new devices this year.
He further speculates that the new initiative would either be a refresh of Microsoft's Band Wearable or the Xbox TV devices that should have been launched in E3.
