Why didn't they merge the Surface Dock and Continuum Dock?

[Bahamen]

Shouldn't it be obvious that the Surface Dock could/should have doubled-up as a continuum dock? What is the point if you need to unplug everything from the Surface Dock and replug again to the Continuum dock? What is holding them back from doing this?

 

[xandros9]

I think it may have been because the Surface dock predates the Continuum dock and wasn't on the list of features-to-have.

 

[JDHamilton6]

I've been thinking the same for a while. It is so obvious that I won't buy one until they converge.

 

[Alligator42]

But why even have a Surface dock if you have a Continuum dock? Use your cell phone, not the Surface. The whole point is that you won't even need to buy a computer in the future!

 

[TechFreak1]

Two very different use cases , but in the future they may have a Surface connector to a USB-Type C connector as current the continuum dock uses a Type-C Connector as well as both the 950 and XL.

 

[JDHamilton6]

But why even have a Surface dock if you have a Continuum dock? Use your cell phone, not the Surface. The whole point is that you won't even need to buy a computer in the future!

Perhaps. But that's the future and not the present.

Why have two things that serve essentially the same purpose for different classes of items when you can have (and buy) one that does it for both?

 

[Alexander Long]

Shouldn't it be obvious that the Surface Dock could/should have doubled-up as a continuum dock? What is the point if you need to unplug everything from the Surface Dock and replug again to the Continuum dock? What is holding them back from doing this?

Surface use a proprietary connector so unless the future surface use USB-c connector, that won't be possible anytime soon. However some of the new tablet/laptop with USB-C do work with continuum dock (MS display dock) like I heard somewhere someone use that on the new Dell XPS 13 with USB-C. So in the future if all device use USB-C connecter with DisplayPort alternative mode, then theoretically those dock should be universal compatible (thunderbolt 3 dock would be downgrade compatible with USB 3.1) and another fact is all USB 3.1 gen 2 have to be USB-C. So as the industry move to USB 3.1 gen 2 or later, those device will all support same protocol with same USB-C connecter and standard. Then the docks use those standard will work with continuum for mobile and extensions for computers/tablets