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Why They Hell Won’t Microsoft Give Its Surface Hardware USB-C Ports?

Author: Michael Crider / Source: reviewgeek.com

microsoft, surface, surface pro 6, usb c,

Okay, Microsoft, I’ve been patient. I’ve allowed you the benefit of the doubt. Windows 10 is great (mostly), and the Surface Pro is a fantastic full-power tablet. So I’ve been waiting for you to resolve its most glaring issue.

…But you haven’t. After yesterday’s announcement, you’ve once again sidelined support for USB Type-C, three and a half years after Apple introduced it on its first-party hardware and three years after Google brought it to the mobile space with its last Nexus devices.

When your two biggest competitors are supporting an industry standard that you continue to drag your heels on, it’s hard to see this decision as anything but a mistake.

surface go, usb port, usb c, surface, tablet, — See, Microsoft? You can do this!

Before we continue, let’s establish the parameters. Technically at least some Surface-branded hardware supports USB-C. The Surface Go uses a USB-C port for charging, like most Android smartphones and most new low-to-mid-power tablets. And the Surface Book 2, Microsoft’s detachable laptop, features a Type-C port as well. But in both cases the Type-C port omits Thunderbolt capability, meaning it can’t be used to output video at optimum quality like most new laptops can. And for both machines, the USB-C charging capability is hamstrung, deferring the fastest charging to the proprietary Surface connector Microsoft has been using since the original model way back in 2012. The Surface Studio, the line’s most expensive option and an otherwise interesting all-in-one desktop, doesn’t feature a single USB-C port, even on its new revised hardware.

Microsoft, surface pro, surface pro 6, usb-c

And now Microsoft has announced the Surface Pro 6, the latest revision of the company’s workhorse hardware. Hardware that has the same single USB A and Mini-DisplayPort layout it’s been using for five years, while every single hardware alternative has long since offered USB-C for high-speed charging and for video. Ditto for the revised Surface Laptop 2: no USB-C ports to be seen. What freakin’ gives?