Why Microsoft Killed the Magnetic Charging Port on the New Surface Pro and Surface Laptop

Microsoft just announced the new 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop. I have not seen either new Windows 11 machines in person, so I have no idea how they feel in the hand. I don’t know if the smaller display on the Surface Pro is a downgrade or not. I also can’t say whether or not the lower resolution screen on the Surface Laptop is visibly worse than last year’s model. Even so, I’m certain of one thing: People will be mad that Microsoft removed the magnetic Surface Connect port from both PCs. From the serial port to USB-A to the headphone jack, history is littered with outrage over the disappearance of longstanding ports. In the words of the wise Peter Griffin, this kinda thing “really grinds my gears.” Look, I understand the anger echoing from the front to the back—nobody wants to lose a useful port unless there’s a legitimate reason to nix it or there’s a better replacement. On a Teams call last week, Jit Hirani, lead designer for Surface Devices, offered a pragmatic a ... Read full article.