This may be Microsoft’s USB-C compatible Surface coector (but it’s not all good)

Microsoft received a lot of criticism for not replacing the Surface coector in their new range of Surface devices with USB-C ports, but Microsoft has insisted they were simply not happy with the user experience the port provides, noting elements such as lack of easy attachment and easy detachment, useful to prevent tripping issues.

Now from a new patent, in part created by Jan Raken, Director of Surface Design, it appears Microsoft does indeed have a solution in the wings ready for the next generation of Surface tablets, which will marry the advantage of the Surface coector with compatibility with the growing USB-C standard.

The new coector would be smaller and thier than the current Surface coector (above), but would still feature magnets allowing it to click in place without any effort, and detach easily if you trip over the wire and not pull your PC down.

The coector would feature a tapered design which would allow it to slip into a USB-C female slot without force being required. It would also feature a number of adaptations to make it a low profile coector.

It would only support USB 2 speeds, for example, meaning it would need less electromagnetic shielding and can, therefore, be shorter (power would still be delivered over the coection). It would also not include the 6 external electrical contacts/wires of a usual USB-C coector, which would also facilitate the short tapered shape, and would lack the springs in the usual USB-C male coector, being held in place instead with magnets instead.

The result is a very compromised coector on the male end (which I suspect would not be able to support a powerful docking station for example), but the female side should still be fully USB-C compatible, meaning you could still plug in an array of standard USB-C dongles and devices when needed.

Whether this would satisfy the critics, of course, remains to be seen.

The full patent, which was applied for in February 2016, can be seen here.