Microsoft has announced significant price increases on its Surface PCs, including a 50% increase from $999 to $1,499, and other retailers are expected to follow suit. The price increases have boosted the appeal of the MacBook Neo, which is now being blamed on memory prices. This could make it more appealing for consumers to switch from cheap Chromebooks to Mac. However, 9to5Google warns that budget pricing may not be enough to protect these machines.