In a decisive move to cut through the clutter of Grad Promotions, Microsoft is offering a free Xbox 360 for any student who buys a new Windows 7 PC over $699. Microsoft is stepping in front of Apple’s annual student promotion (get a free iPod when you buy a Mac) and appealing to students with this sexy new offer. The deal launched before Apple’s promo with a teaser video of Spartan from Halo walking at a high school graduation.

With the growing popularity of Apple among college students and other young people, pairing their PCs with a beloved brand like Xbox will be a win for Microsoft. They will likely recoup their costs with game and accessory sales. The only place I see room for improvement is if they added in something more female friendly. I don’t see many college girls spending their weekends playing Halo, but perhaps they would take a Dance Central study break if they had the Kinect Controller for Xbox.

The most frequent criticism I’ve seen about this Microsoft deal in the blogosphere? When is Captain Macmillan from COD 4 graduating?