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  • Stochastic - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    No USB C is a massive omission and probably a deal breaker for some. I find it hard to get excited about Surface devices in general as there is a huge markup for upgrading RAM and storage. Why is it still so outrageously expensive to buy a laptop with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage?
  • nikon133 - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    Yes, a bit underwhelming.

    The battery life on new Surface Pro doesn't seem to be better than on 2017 model... no USB-c port... maybe 13" screen with a bit reduced bezel, would be nice? Decent machine but not a must. I'll consider it for replacement for my Surface Pro 3... I wouldn't if I had anything newer than that.
  • BurntMyBacon - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    I think Microsoft management is satisfied with the current battery life and they use any efficiency gains to push more performance. Having four full cores in the same power envelope make it a reasonable upgrade for some. No USB-C is an omission, but with the majority of devices still plugging in via USB-A (including many phones that ship with only a USB-A to USB-C cable for data and charging), I'm not sure how big a deal that really is. The upgrade structure is completely unjustifiable when considering the differential from the base model. If I were looking for a Surface Pro, I'd be looking really closely at the upper end 2017 models as they try to clear out stock. I doubt the cost difference would be worth paying for the 2018 for most use cases.
  • Fergy - Saturday, October 6, 2018 - link

    Every new device you buy will probably use usb-c including powerbanks and docks. So you buy a new device that will be used for 5 years but you only use your old stuff on that single usb-a port. At one point you will buy an expensive usb-c dock to connect every device you have: laptop, phone, nintendo switch etc. and your expensive surface will be the only device that needs a special dongle or even a separate special surface dock.
  • rahvin - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    I'm not really surprised, the dropped the ball last year on this. There must be someone in charge at Microsoft that thinks embracing USB-C is a leg up to Google or Apple. It's hogwash is what it is, any company that would produce a laptop, tablet or phone without USB-C is frankly just plain stupid and their products should be avoided.

    We're already more than 5 years out on USB-C, it is literally better than all the prior plugs in every single way and MS produces products without it.
  • BurntMyBacon - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    Except the connector is now common with TB and even DP over USB-C. So you have three different standards and even a combination in some cases. With the old USB-A standard, you plugged it in and, in general, it worked. There was no normal use scenario where you could plug it into a completely incompatible port. The variance was how fast it worked. With USB-C, you plug it in and it might work, but maybe not. Did you plug your TB device into a USB-C port? Not all the ports on the same laptop have the same compatibility. You have to check to make sure it supports the device you plugged in. This by itself says that it is not literally better than all the prior plugs in EVERY SINGLE WAY as you state.

    Beyond that, the majority of devices manufactured are still using the older usb standards. Even with phones, where USB-C is more prevalent, the devices are more often than not delivered with a USB-A to USB-C cable and a USB-A equipped power adapter.

    While I do wish USB-C was present here, USB-A is still far more useful. I definitely would not include USB-C to the omission of USB-A.
  • defaultluser - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    I totally agree that Thunderbolt 3 helped to kill USB-C adoption. It adds way too much damn complexity to a port that already does too many things in it's original standard.

    But Thunderbolt was on it's last legs, so I can sorta understand it going all-or-nothing.

    Unfortunately, we're now going to have to wait until Thunderbolt gets integrated into device chip-sets before they solve the "does this C port support this C peripheral" problem.

    And they will never solve the "does this cable have the power handling my device needs," but that has ALWAYS been an issue with USB cables (just try and run 15w phone chargers on any old A to micro USB cable, and see how many decades it takes to charge.)

    I think that the incorrectly-designed USB C cables issues have been mostly resolved, now that there's enough volume to bring quality OEMs to the table.
  • ToTTenTranz - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link

    USB-C wasn't killed.
  • rhysiam - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    RE USB-C, I agree the old A port is still useful, but MS insist on sticking with mini-DP. That's the swap they should have made. MiniDP is not widely used and generally requires you to supply your own cable anyway. So swapping the miniDP port for USB-C would be straight upgrade.
  • Barilla - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    I honestly don't get why people are so obsessed with USB-C. 2,5 years with my SP4 and there was exactly zero times when I thought USB-C would make any difference to me. My only device with C connector is my phone and honestly if it was micro-B instead, I wouldn't notice it probably.
  • Stochastic - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    Most people use expensive PCs for several years. In 4-5 years time, USB-C devices will be far more common than they are today.
  • digiguy - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link

    Not going to happen (at least not if by devices you mean peripherals like mice and USB thumb drives)
  • ToTTenTranz - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link

    If your Surface Pro had USB-C, you could use the same charger for your phone and your laptop/tablet. One less charger to carry around.
  • Drazick - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    I wish there was a 32" version of the Surface Studio Screen to buy without the computer.
    Just the screen, same resolution in 32" form.
  • vbigdeli - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link

    +1
  • milkod2001 - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link

    Is there something special about the screen? There are plenty of professional 32''monitors out there unless you want touch screen with built in wacom as Studio screen.
  • Manch - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link

    Exactly what you just mentioned. The pen/touch screen on these are amazing.
  • Drazick - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link

    I want the 3:2 Aspect Ratio.
  • dontlistentome - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link

    Why are people banging on about USB C?

    These are professional devices - Thunderbolt is what's needed. As someone with a Thunderbolt-dock based desk at work (2 screens, gig ethernet, keyboard, USB storage) and at home (much the same) single-cable docking of power and multiple 4k screens is now expected for a lot of people.

    As it stands I can carry my Lenovo laptop charger and use it to charge my work laptop, my home laptop and my S8. I can use a Mac charger to top up any of them. I've stopped carrying my Surface 4 because I can't just borrow a charger for a top-up if i'm low.

    Hopefully the 7 pro will have TB3, will upgrade then.
  • Gadgety - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link

    "I don’t use wireless or noise-cancelling headphones, don’t use my phone/laptop for music, and prefer using a separate DAC/amp even when mobile"

    Your statement reads like "I don't care." Someone else should do this hands on, then. I expect you to report the BT type, what formats it handles (aptx, for example) and something about the DAC inside.

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