Yesterday, Microsoft unveiled its new Surface Laptop, a "conventional" notebook running Windows 10 S, which is restricted to running apps downloaded from the Windows Store. The new machine is exquisitely designed, and features plenty of high-end specs, but the range of ports that it offers certainly raised an eyebrow or two.
Microsoft evidently considered including an alternative set of connectors to the single USB 3.0 Type-A port, Mini DisplayPort, and 3.5mm headphone jack that feature on the final design. The Verge spotted a fleeting glimpse of a Surface Laptop prototype, in a Microsoft promotional video touting its "craftsmanship", which clearly shows a design that included two USB Type-C ports, in the position where Microsoft eventually located its power connector.
Adoption of USB-C is continuing to grow, with increasing adoption on mobile handsets, and many affordable laptops and 2-in-1s now featuring at least one connector of that type. Many were surprised that the Surface Laptop - which was developed under the codename "Lynx" - does not include at least one USB-C port, given the growing availability of other devices and peripherals that now support it.
Microsoft pointed to a lack of market adoption as a key factor in its decision to exclude USB-C from the Surface Laptop, and said that its target market - primarily those in higher education, although the device is available to other buyers - were more likely to make use of the ports that it chose to include.
You can see the full video below:
Be sure to check out our hands-on first impressions of the Surface Laptop. In addition to that device, which will be priced from $999 in the US, and from £979 in the UK, a range of much more affordable PCs will be available with Windows 10 S, targeting the education market.
Source: The Verge