14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has become the king of dongles after the company decided to remove the headphone jack on the iPhone 7, and since then, the Cupertino-based tech giant regularly comes back with more such adapters to compensate for the lack of certain connectivity options.
With Microsoft becoming more and more focused on hardware, it was probably just a matter of time until it too started investing in dongles.
And yesterday, Microsoft officially became part of the dongle party with its very own adapter aimed at the Microsoft Surface.
The first USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter that Microsoft releases is specifically aimed at buyers of the Surface Pro X, the company’s first ARM-powered Surface that doesn’t come with a traditional headphone jack.
Launching next month
It does come with a USB-C port, however, so if you want to connect your standard headphones to listen to your favorite music, this adapter is exactly what you need.
“Connect wired earbuds or headphones to your Surface with this USB-C to 3.5mm adapter and listen to music, movies, and calls. Compatible with any Surface PC that includes a USB-C port,” Microsoft explains.
The good thing is that Microsoft’s first dongle isn’t really expensive, as it’ll cost just $11.99 when it launches on November 5.
While it’s only aimed at the Surface Pro X for the time being, there’s a good chance that such an adapter would be required for more Surface models going forward. The more the company becomes interested in embracing USB-C on its devices, the bigger the chances for some connectors to get the ax, and since the first step has already been made, a similar change could happen on next-generation Surface products too.
For now, Apple doesn’t seem to be the only one going for dongles, as these little accessories appear to be part of Microsoft’s hardware future as well.