Microsoft seems very excited about its new magnetic USB Type-C charger for the Surface Laptop Ultra, but it don't impress me much

Microsoft has introduced what it calls the "most powerful Surface devices ever," the Surface Laptop Ultra and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box. Both devices, powered by Nvidia's RTX Spark SOC, are set to launch on October 16 alongside other RTX Spark laptops, with prices starting at $2,599 for the Surface Laptop Ultra and $5,999 for the RTX Spark Dev Box.

A notable feature of the Surface Laptop Ultra is its new Magnetic Connect, a magnetic USB Type-C charger that attaches magnetically to the right-side USB-C port without interfering with video, data, or other USB-C devices. This magnetic connector is claimed to be a world-first, though it shares similarities with Apple's MagSafe technology.

The design of Magnetic Connect might have been influenced by recent EU regulations that mandate USB-C charging for all new devices sold in the EU, including laptops introduced in April 2024. Despite Microsoft's enthusiasm for this charger, it appears to be more reminiscent of existing MagSafe technology rather than a revolutionary innovation.

While the Surface Laptop Ultra promises impressive AI capabilities, such as running models with over 120 billion parameters and up to 1 petaflop of AI performance, the high price tag of $2,599 may be viewed skeptically, especially given the inclusion of 128 GB of unified memory which, in the context of the AI industry, could be one contributing factor to its cost.