Microsoft: USB-C isn’t ready
Of all the changes Microsoft could have made with the new Surface Pro it introduced on Tuesday in China, adding a USB-C port was a gimme.
Except that it wasn’t and Microsoft didn’t.
The choice to leave USB-C off its flagship product puts Microsoft at odds with an industry that is rapidly swapping out micro USB, USB 3.0 and even beloved power adapters in favor of the newer and more flexible port option.
“I believe there was a headline that said, ‘Microsoft doesn’t believe in Type C.’ Actually, that’s not accurate. I believe in Type C, for sure, but right now I believe in our customers more,” said Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Devices Panos Panay.
Panay was walking me through the new Surface Pro, the long-awaited follow-up to the popular Surface Pro 4. It includes many updates (800 new parts) and design enhancements, but USB-C isn’t one of them.
“We looked hard at [USB-C],” he said, but later added, “It’s not that it’s not great. It’s not that people don’t use it, but it’s not ready for these products yet. It’s not ready for our customers.”
'It’s not that it’s not great. It’s not that people don’t use it, but it’s not ready for these products yet. It’s not ready for our customers.'
Panay described USB-C as being in its “infant state” and said that it would be another three to four years before it truly catches on.
In a way, Panay is right. Most of our larger devices still rely on USB 3.0. In systems that have made the switch, like the latest MacBook Pro, dongles are required and not everyone is happy about it.
For Microsoft, it wasn’t an easy choice. “We spent iteration after iteration, thought after thought. We don’t take these decisions lightly. We don’t wake up one day and say, ‘People are using Type-C, oh my gosh.’”
However, Microsoft’s reasoning goes beyond choosing between USB 3.0 and USB-C. In fact, there’s little chance Microsoft would’ve swapped its traditional USB port for Type-C; Microsoft’s business customers simply rely too heavily on the former port.
Ghosts of Surface past
Panay, though, wanted to address the possibility of following in Apple’s footsteps and replacing the signature, magnetic Surface Connect power and data port and adapter with USB-C. After all, Microsoft had done it once before, with the Surface 3 (not Pro) when it dropped Surface Connect in favor of a tiny USB 2.0 port and adapter.
That experience taught Microsoft and Panay a valuable lesson.
“We listened, I want to say we listened to our customers, but we really listened to the noise of the fringe: ‘I want one charger.’”
However, two things quickly happened, customers started using whatever USB 2.0 charger they had lying around to charge the Surface 3 and soon lost track of the original charger.
The USB 2.0 adapter Microsoft shipped with the Surface 3 could charge it 80% in 2 hours. Since some were using phone chargers to charge their Surface 3, it took 12 hours or more. People called to complain:
“My device isn’t charging.”
“What are you plugging into it?”
“I have this USB charger.”
With Surface Pro 4 and Pro 3, no one loses their charger, said Panay. “It stays with you, it’s an important part of your life.”
“With Surface 3 the most fascinating thing happened: the minute you realized that... you could plug in any USB 2.0 device, your charger became expendable.”
In other words, having a unique, powerful and versatile (the Surface Connect charger comes with a USB port) charger and port is preferable to having ones that can work with anything.
C'ing the future
Microsoft is not ignoring USB-C entirely. Panay shows me a Surface Connect-to USB-C adapter that can be used with a Type-C charger to charge up the Surface Pro.
There will be questions about why Microsoft didn’t make the switch or even just squeeze a USB-C port in, but Panay stands by the decision.
“What I’m making sure is that customers get everything they need when they’re using this device. I’m fool-proofing it.... And when Type-C is ready it, we’ll put it in. It will come to our products. There’s no question it will show up.”
Topics Microsoft
Lance Ulanoff was Chief Correspondent and Editor-at-Large of Mashable. Lance acted as a senior member of the editing team, with a focus on defining internal and curated opinion content. He also helped develop staff-wide alternative story-telling skills and implementation of social media tools during live events. Prior to joining Mashable in September 2011 Lance Ulanoff served as Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for the Ziff Davis, Inc. While there, he guided the brand to a 100% digital existence and oversaw content strategy for all of Ziff Davis’ Web sites. His long-running column on PCMag.com earned him a Bronze award from the ASBPE. Winmag.com, HomePC.com and PCMag.com were all been honored under Lance’s guidance.He makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Fox News, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Kelly and Michael, CNBC, CNN and the BBC.He has also offered commentary on National Public Radio and been interviewed by newspapers and radio stations around the country. Lance has been an invited guest speaker at numerous technology conferences including SXSW, Think Mobile, CEA Line Shows, Digital Life, RoboBusiness, RoboNexus, Business Foresight and Digital Media Wire’s Games and Mobile Forum.
