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USB-C for Surface owners arrives in form of a massive dongle

$79.99 gets you a single USB-C port for your costly computer

Lovers of USB-C who have had a Surface device inflicted upon them may soon find their long wait for dongle-based delight is at an end, according to reports.

USB-C is notable by its absence from Microsoft's current line-up of Surface tablets. Only the Surface Book 2 has been blessed by the wonder-connector. The Surface Laptop and Surface Pro make do with chunky USB 3.0 sockets.

Reviewers have been surprised by the omission. Our own Andrew Orlowski reckoned the port selection was "stuck in 2015" when looking at Redmond's latest and greatest Surface Pro last year.

USB-C is often pitched as the one port to rule them all, able to provide power and lob around all manners of high-speed data. However, its implementation has been patchy. Not all hardware makers offer all connection options on all ports, leading to some confusing configurations.

The report, which has yet to be confirmed by Microsoft, said the anticipated dongle ships at the end of this week for a price that would make even the most committed Apple apologist wince: $79.99.

To put that in context, Microsoft will happily sell you a DisplayPort to HDMI dongle for $39.99.

The dongle itself looks to be a substantial, Brutalist lump of plastic about the size of a charger and will connect to the Surface Connect port on the latest Surface Laptop and Pro devices. Equipped with a miserly single USB-C port, users will be able to suck power from a USB-C charger or connect suitable peripherals.

When asked if reports were correct, a Microsoft spokesperson told The Register: "No comment." ®

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