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The new range of Microsoft Surface devices looks pretty impressive. The key features of the Surface Pro 6 Convertible and the Surface Laptop 2 – primarily the performance and battery life – have been truly optimized. Both models are now available in a matte black finish worthy of Batman. In addition, Surface Studio, which has only the creations to apply, has an improved screen and better graphics support.
Apart from the surprise introduction of the Surface headset, however, the story of Surface Design from Microsoft is pretty much the same. None of the form factors have evolved, and almost all new models do not have functionality that the Surface line has resisted for a while: the USB-C.
Microsoft's holiday was not bad news for the port of the future. The Surface Studio, which owns the most real estate, has embarked on the USB-C train. And the Surface headphones have a USB-C charging port. (Let's not forget the already available Surface Go, which was the first Surface to take the plunge.)
But the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2 have the same port history as before: Standard USB Port, Mini DisplayPort, Headphone Jack, MicroSD Card Slot and Magnetic Charge Port Exclusive Surface (not including the Keyboard Magnetic Connector ).
List of connectors for Surface Pro 6. No USB-C here.
Given the number of people complaining about hell dongles on the current MacBook and MacBook Pro, Microsoft's reluctance to use the full-fledged USB-C port is understandable. But not even a port on one or the other model? It's starting to look like stubbornness.
But that's not it. It's just the reality. And the reality is that USB-C is far from the normalized universal port that it was supposed to be when it started appearing three years ago.
The main problem is that there are several types of USB-C ports and cables. Some ports support the load and others do not. And when they do, they may not support fast charging or charging in either direction. When USB-C was launched, it did not support Thunderbolt 3, but now it does. This is good news, but also creates a problem of upward compatibility, especially since some older cables do not support it either.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6
Image: Pete Pachal / Mashable
The problems do not stop there. Due to lax standards, there are many USB-C cables and accessories on the market, and the use of a bad cable with the wrong device can sometimes lead to frying your expensive smartphone or laptop. It got so bad that Amazon was finally forced to crack down on a group of cable providers.
"This is still not ready," said Panos Panay, Product Manager at Microsoft, after the Surface event. "It's a real challenge." We do not want our customers to connect the wrong 5-watt power cord from their Android phone to the Surface and then wonder why it has not been loaded. . "
Leaving aside all technical problems, USB-C still has a long way to go before completely supplanting the full-size USB-A ports. Indeed, after two decades of standard in device connectivity, the USB-A is ubiquitous – in airports, on batteries, even on the small plugs provided with each iPhone. This is why Apple will not deliver Lightning cables to USB-C in the near future.
This is the reality that Microsoft faces. Surely the myriad of problems associated with USB-C will eventually be resolved (every day, I'm sure), and the connector is experiencing a strong dynamic in the mobile sector. But Microsoft wants to sell Surfaces here and now, and Windows PCs tend to end up in workstations – usually nurseries for accessories with traditional USB-A ports.
"We want to maintain the same consistency on ports for our commercial customers," said Panay.
Keep in mind that using USB-C for the Surface Pro or a laptop would be a matter of "all or nothing". Both designs were created with the USB-A ports in mind and, if port switching over USB-C would be a relatively simple technical setup, it would radically change the design requirements. -Bottom redone when he introduced the port.
Well enough, but then why not completely rethink the surface line around the USB-C? This is certainly on the Microsoft roadmap, but we will probably have to wait until at least the next refresh.
"There will be a time for us, that's for sure," said Panay. "Where we think it belongs, we put it."
The surface headphone charges via a USB-C port.
Image: Pete Pachal / Mashable
While the lack of USB-C on new surfaces gives the impression that Microsoft is stuck in the past, it is really stuck in the present. The Surface range earned Microsoft many accolades, mainly because it thoroughly examined all aspects of the design and then reiterated them to focus on the best possible experience. It is understandable that Microsoft does not want to spoil a good thing.
Still, should not it? The question then arises: to what extent does Microsoft's reluctance to adopt USB-C keep it? For any standard to take shape, influential manufacturers must adopt it, just as Apple, Google and Samsung use it for USB-C. All contributed to the development of the specification, and Microsoft has also been involved. Does not he now have the responsibility to advance technology, despite potential growth issues?
In addition, it is an opportunity for the Surface line to become even more influential than it already is. Say what you want from Apple's "courage" claim to get rid of the headphone jack – a message that all mobile phone companies have heard. It's hard to find an Android flagship product today that still includes the port.
What Panay is saying about Windows clients, especially in business, not being ready for a USB-C future is undoubtedly part of the truth. But passing on the port with the latest wave of Surfaces, Microsoft has given new impetus to its future.
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