Microsoft Introduces ‘world’s first’ Magnetic USB-C Port

Microsoft held an event in San Francisco this week at which it announced several AI-centric enhancements to Windows, as well as new first-party hardware like the Surface Laptop Ultra. The computer comes out on October 16.

Most interesting to me about Microsoft’s announcement is what it describes as “the world’s first built-in magnetic USB-C charging port.” It’s Microsoft, not Apple, that have engineered the USB-C port of my dreams, effectively fusing MagSafe with USB-C. My friend Rich DeMuro posted a quick clip of it to X, and the implementation is pretty much identical to MagSafe on a MacBook Pro. According to Microsoft, the new connector “combines magnetic convenience with the versatility of a standard connection.” It is convenient, but it’s also very much something else: accessibility!

Indeed, the accessibility gains here are non-trivial. If you’re a Windows user who, like me, has visual and fine-motor conditions which make plugging in cables an adventure in tedium for your hand-eye coordination, Microsoft’s new connector may well be a godsend when using your machine. Simply bring the cable close to the port itself and physics does the rest. Is a charging port alone worth spending $2,600 to have? No, but that’s beside the point. The salient point is that it’s disingenuous, dare I say lazy, to brush off this feature as a “copy” of MagSafe or an ostensibly insignificant implementation detail. On the contrary, it’s these little things on the margins that oftentimes make or break a positive user experience for people with disabilities. It’s a shining example of why hardware accessibility matters just as much as software. My days as a Windows user are long past, but Microsoft deserves the utmost credit for including this new connector even if it’s conceptually old. It’s a genuinely good feature addition, regardless of provenance—or platform.

Microsoft has posted a brief video on the Surface Laptop Ultra to YouTube.