Why is USB Type-C so important for it to be on a Surface device????

[SepSol]

I really don't get it. When the new Surface Pro was announced I couldn't think of anything bad about it, but soon all around the internet I heard the voices saying that it's a bummer MS didn't include a USB Type-C on it. So what??? It doesn't have a USB Type-C! MS did introduce an adaptor for that! You can use that! Plus I personally don't have any device that has USB Type-C on it, and I don't know any of my friends having a USB Type-C device!

So back to the question, why is USB Type-C an important thing to be on a device like Surface?

Thanks for reading

 

[L0n3N1nja]

It's just the new version of USB, many new devices are using it to charge, it allows faster data speeds, can be plugged in either direction and takes up less space allowing thinner devices.

Personally don't have anything USB C yet, don't care that much about it either, but it is the way of the future. Than again looking at computers and motherboards recently I noticed USB 2.0 is still in use, so USB 3.1 type A isn't going away anytime soon.

 

[mikosoft]

Currently it's still more for show and specs than regular use but it is futureproofing. Apple is hated for including adaptors for everything. Surface as a flagship showcase product should set the lead in what is useful and top in tech and USB type C is just that - it is top in tech and it will become useful soon (read in ~2 years or so).

 

[jmshub]

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[RomansTen13]

With the recent decision by Intel to do away with royalties, my guess is that the Surface team is looking at USB-C for the next update (2018) to the Surface.

 

[david90531]

Just my personal take on this. I think so far USB-C is not a MUST for laptops and tablets yet, but more of an essential for smartphones. 95% of my friends (although I'm a musician) don't even know what a USB-C port is, so I'm not too mad at them for not including them on the new SP.

 

[derrieger]

So back to the question, why is USB Type-C an important thing to be on a device like Surface?

Well, for me the question shouldn't be *why* but *when* will Type C be an important thing. Of course, not today when literally everything USB is done by Type A oder Micro. But Surface devices have a life cycle that reaches beyond today.
So, to be able to use it in a convenient way in 2018 oder 2020, they should have included Type C today, because there's no use in such a port when it's built into a future device I won't own then.

 

[convergent]

I kind of agree with Microsoft's decision on this one. Looking at other alternative devices that have USB-C, you find huge forum discussions about which USB adapters can and can not charge through it. USB-C is a standard connector that doesn't have standard electronics. That is not a good thing. I work for a large software company and have traveled the world to offices in about 10 countries and never seen a single thing in any office that used USB-C. Some of the newer smartphones come with USB-C charging cables. I think its years before USB-C becomes a standard needed capability, and I'm actually half thinking something else may come out as a follow-on before it ever establishes itself. I would have been highly annoyed if they ONLY provided USB-C like Apple has done. That to me is more of a problem.

 

[JohnnyRedLight]

I also think that for "most" people, myself included, USB-C is not needed.

What are the benefits? I only know of a few because, to me, USB-C isn't very exciting tech to read about.

• 
  Quickly transfer massive files
  Hook up to an external GPU
  Run a bunch of monitors daisy chained together
  Can run more power hungry devices

BUT most important of all of them... You can plug it in either way!

 

[onlysublime]

Microsoft said they are developing a USB-C dongle that'll fit in the power connector slot of the Surface Pro machine. that should be good enough for people that want one.

Personally, I'm indifferent to it. All the technophiles are pushing it because it's the chicken and egg problem. There are few USB-C devices because there are few machines that have it. and not a lot of machines have it because there are so few USB-C devices.

There's just no true standard for USB-C. The plug is standard but nothing else. Right now, the cables are really unreliable and have been known to fry devices with USB-C such as Android phones. The only solution is to buy cables from known reliable providers such as Apple but having to pay enormous amounts just for cables and adapters.

Here's a sample article on the issue:

https://www.theverge.com/2016/2/4/10916264/usb-c-russian-roulette-power-cords

USB-C is reversible and can deliver huge amounts of both power and data very quickly. Importantly, it’s also backwards-compatible so that adapters and cables can get us through the awkward period between now and when it actually becomes the universal standard.

It’s that last bit that has USB-C in trouble. Right now, if you aren’t very careful, a USB-C cable can destroy your laptop. If you just go to Amazon and buy any pack of USB-C cables you find, you could end up with a wire that can destroy your machine in a flash.

That’s what happened to Google engineer Benson Leung, who, in the course of testing a USB-C cable, destroyed his Chromebook Pixel. It happened instantly. It also happened to me — I used a cheap cable I found on Amazon to charge my Nexus 6P and it drew too much power from my MacBook Air’s USB ports. Apple did a remarkable job engineering the MacBook’s ports — they shut down temporarily to protect themselves — but when they came back online, they only worked intermittently.

The problem is that when you plug a USB device in, it starts drawing power. If it tries to pull too much power, the device that supplies it can burn out. It’s not the Nexus’ fault that my MacBook got fried — it was just doing what it was supposed to do: ask for as much power as it can get. It’s not the MacBook’s fault either — its ports weren’t designed to handle delivering that much juice nor to know that they shouldn’t even try. It is the fault of the cable, which is supposed to protect both sides from screwing up the energy equation with resistors and proper wiring. This kind of failure is possible with any cable, but older kinds of USB devices didn’t draw this much power.

 

[anon(10237065)]

I also do not understand the hype... I mean the idea to have a standard charging connector, higher speed when transferring data and external GPU is lovely BUT - who's going to really use these advantages on Surface Pro? Who is going to be on a plane or a train with external GPU?

THIS makes sense for laptops but for Surface Pro? I'm not buying this device for GPU performance, I'm not buying it to keep my USB drives all the time and transfer data all day and hell no I'm not going to run into the shop to buy all new external HDDs and USB drivers with USB-C. I don't have a single USB-C device yet. USB 3.0 is fast enough if you ask me.

And most importantly - I love the Surface magnetic connector and I wouldn't change it for USB-C. NEVER. I don't understand why Apple got rid of it because this kind of charging connector is the best invention ever.

 

[convergent]

I also do not understand the hype... I mean the idea to have a standard charging connector, higher speed when transferring data and external GPU is lovely BUT - who's going to really use these advantages on Surface Pro? Who is going to be on a plane or a train with external GPU?

THIS makes sense for laptops but for Surface Pro? I'm not buying this device for GPU performance, I'm not buying it to keep my USB drives all the time and transfer data all day and hell no I'm not going to run into the shop to buy all new external HDDs and USB drivers with USB-C. I don't have a single USB-C device yet. USB 3.0 is fast enough if you ask me.

And most importantly - I love the Surface magnetic connector and I wouldn't change it for USB-C. NEVER. I don't understand why Apple got rid of it because this kind of charging connector is the best invention ever.

I don't understand the hype either. I think its just people wanting something to complain about, or people that don't like Microsoft using it as an excuse. I'm also a Mac user and when Apple switched to USB-C there was probably more hoopla about that. Everyone wanted to have USB-A. So the only way they wouldn't complain is if they somehow could put every port ever made on the thing and still keep it the same size... which is impossible.

I too agree that the Surface Connector is superior to USB-C for a dock, and works great. I don't have a need for it unless I'm at my desk. For traveling around I can get a portable USB3 drive or a high speed micro-SD card.

As far as I'm concerned, if it were going to have anything added to it I would have liked another USB-A port and an HDMI port, but not if either made it bigger in any way.

 

[GG002]

When the Surface connector to USB-C comes out, I will buy one so I can plug in power banks. It's been my wish to power from a power bank since I got my SP3. Outside of that, I couldn't care less about USB-C, it's not like it's powerful enough to utilise the full capabilities of USB-C/TB3 anyway.

 

[anon(10237065)]

Actually the only thing that might be good - to have USB-C instead of MiniDisplay port for displays, that's something that I would understand. Though there are not many USB-C displays on the market right now. Maybe in the future.

 

[jmork]

Hmmm - i think its a bit silly not to use it since everything will eventually need it... It just makes the device seem less future proof....
With that said, the REAL reason im annoyed they didnt just add one USB C is because one USB 3 port isnt enough for a pro device! At least an added USB C would be another port to use...
USB instead of display port could have been nice as well, then you have one port you can decide if you want to use it for video or data. Oh well, maybe the next Surface Pro will be a little more Pro! Maybe they'll get inspired by the new EVE V tablet?

 

[onlysublime]

but realistically, USB-C will not be common for another 3 years. In 3 years, a lot of people will have moved on from Surface Pro 2017. By then, hopefully Surface Pro 5 or 6 will have been out.

But they're developing a USB-C dongle so for those that really want it, they're going to get it. Right now, the only real useful use for USB-C is to use batteries to charge your machine when you're not near an outlet (and I would actually use this feature because there are times when I'm nowhere near an electrical outlet).

 

[Keeptechcoolandsimple]

the decision not to put usb-c doesn't bother me as much as let's say some hardware developers leaving out a headphone jack.

just saying.

 

[jmork]

The main reason for me is the charging. I'm an artist and have been in a situation where an hour before a concert the power supply broke and there was no way to get a new one. As a mac user, I could have easily borrowed from someone else, but the surface is so specific that nobody has it. USB C charging would make this so easy!

 

[JohnnyRedLight]

Oh ya. As someone else mentioned above, charging from power banks would certainly be handy for laptops. Didn't think of that before.

 

[convergent]

Oh ya. As someone else mentioned above, charging from power banks would certainly be handy for laptops. Didn't think of that before.

You can get the SP cable and charge with power banks now... and as long as you keep a spare cable with you then you should be fine. Sure, one day if everything is the same then it would be great, but at this point wouldn't stick some random USB-C charging cable into my device because there is not a standard and it could end up doing damage to the device.