Big Savings Arrive at Microsoft Store for Holiday 2015

With November behind us, Microsoft’s online retail store isn’t waiting around to deliver some holiday savings to new potential Windows users. The company kicked off its annual 12 Days of Deals promotion for Holiday 2015 today with a deep discount on the HP Pavilion x360 and more.

Microsoft announced the 12 Days of Deals were back in press releases and the Microsoft Store website this morning. Each year the Microsoft Store website offers surprise savings on different items, hoping to encourage shoppers to buy Windows PCs that don’t have extra software or Surface devices without hassle. The store even slashed prices on Microsoft’s Office 365 and Groove Music subscription services last year.

For Holiday 2015, the 12 Days of Deals are starting off with deep discounts on a 2-in-1 machine that is powered by Windows 10. The HP Pavilion x360 has a 13.3-inch display and a 1 terabyte hard drive with 8GB of memory for faster start-up times. Hinges on the 13-inch display allow it to morph from traditional notebook to a tablet. That’s great for Windows 10, which is able to adapt to different methods of input. Microsoft has slashed the cost of the HP Pavilion x360 to $499, down from $649. The HP Pavilion x360 is a great device for anyone considering picking up a tablet or for people who simply at a new notebook that’s equipped with touch technology like their smartphone.

In a press release sent to Gotta Be Mobile Microsoft confirmed that the Lenovo Ideapad 100 is getting a price cut as its Day 2 deal for the 12 Days of Deals promotion. The notebook with a 15.1-inch display, 500GB hard drive and Intel Celeron processor normally sells for $399. Microsoft is slashing its price to $199, saving buyers $150 on this Windows 2-in-1 too. The Lenovo IdeaPad 100 is made specifically for users that don’t require lots of power but do appreciate a spacious display. The Idea Pad 100 isn’t great for those that travel frequently; the notebook only gets about 3 hours of battery life.

Both of these devices come equipped with Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system. With Windows 10, users don’t need to relearn tasks they’ve already learned. When used like a notebook, apps and programs will open in resizable windows. With their keyboards folded back, users can switch into Tablet Mode for full-screen apps, side-by-side app multitasking and a fullscreen Start Screen experience.

New Mail, Music, Video, Calendar, Photo and Xbox apps come stuffed with tons of functionality that simply wasn’t available in Windows 8.1. Cortana, the personal assistant that came built into only Windows Phones previously, is available in Windows 10. Both machines will get free Windows upgrades for years. Microsoft is also letting users upgrade their Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs to Windows 10 at no charge for the first year that the operating system is available.

All told, these deals aren’t too bad considering that we’re now deep into the Holiday 2015 shopping festivities. The Microsoft Store offers free shipping and free returns on everything that it sells, though users can purchase expedited shipping if they really need it.

Microsoft says that it’ll tease the next day’s deals on its website at 12 A.M. Pacific Time, giving potential buyers the time they need to move on the deals quickly. That’s key as Microsoft is only promising the savings while supplies last or midnight Pacific Standard Time.

All deals are available on the Microsoft Store website and each of the company’s retail stores once they open and last until they close. Microsoft is careful to note in its Terms and Conditions online that some deals will have quantity limits.

Microsoft Store 12 Days of Deals Holiday 2015 promotion officially ends on December 13th.