Microsoft's budget Surface is back. So is the 8GB RAM problem

Microsoft's budget Surface returns with 8GB RAM configurations, which PCWorld notes can cause performance issues when running multiple applications and browser tabs on Windows devices. Microsoft justifies 8GB as sufficient for basic productivity tasks and is working to optimize Windows' memory footprint, including reducing usage for features like Widgets. Apple's integrated hardware-software approach provides superior efficiency advantages over Windows devices in similar budget scenarios, offering better performance even under demanding conditions. After shipping the Surface Laptop and Pro for business customers starting at about $2,000, Microsoft has come down to earth. Microsoft is releasing a smaller Surface Laptop and Pro for under $1,000, but with a callback to the bad old days of 8GB of system memory.