SP4 may have NO Ports, Zero, None.

[GreyFox7]

Intel is going full steam ahead with Skylake and some vendors are skipping Broadwell chips in their products and going with Skylake.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2865...els-skylake-chips-in-second-half-of-year.html

Though it promises a variety of features, Skylake is generating excitement mainly because it’s expected to reduce the need for power cords, display connectors and other peripheral cables. Skylake laptops can have wireless charging, and also carry display and data signals wirelessly, which could spell the end for HDMI, DisplayPort and even USB cables.​

One of the premier features of Skylake is Wireless everything...
Wireless Charging, Wireless Displays, Wireless Storage, Wireless USB, Wireless networking, Wireless ..., Wireless, all Wireless.

So... the SP4 could ship with a wireless hub and No Ports of any kind, maybe it will even be waterproof but only the low end Core-M model the i5 and i7 will still need cooling vents. I don't see wireless cooling working yet.

 

[GreyFox7]

Related:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/eliseac...the-wired-workplace-with-new-chip-technology/

Intel says its Pro Wireless Display technology, dubbed Pro WiDi, offers a more secure version of existing WiDi technology.

Wireless docking is based on the WiGiG protocol, which allows data to move at speeds of up to 7 Gbps using the 60 Ghz spectrum. The technology relies on a point-to-point connection and 128-bit encryption.

“With new devices based on the 5th generation Intel Core vPro processors, we aim to transform the user experience by helping them compute from virtually anywhere without the clutter and burden of wires,” Tom Garrison, Intel’s general manger of business client platforms, said in a statement.

Wireless charging is due to arrive in consumer devices early next year when PCs based on the Skylake platform become available.

 

[leeshor]

I'll believe if when I don't see it. I say it won't happen that fast that the ports just disappear.

 

[GreyFox7]

... and the wireless hub could have a Pen silo.

 

[toaf]

Pen silo.... SILO! SILO! SILO! SILO!....all chant with me now..... SILO! SILO! SILO! SILO!

 

[EpilEpic]

I'm not sure that's a good thing.

- What with all your USB devices?
you will need to change them all, from simple USB sticks to mice, external HDD's, Video, Ethernet and GPS adapters.
If there is somekind of wireless hub INCLUDED, that's great (depending on it's size).

- What with the battery life?
Im guessing doing everything wireless will have some influence (in the negative way) on battery life?
I must say I'm not blown with the battery life as is, so I'm guessing I won't like a fast drain by "all" the wireless devices.

- What with charging?
Ok, I love wireless charging as I have my charging dock for my phone on my desk, but when I'm leaving home I take a simple cable with me, it's not usefull needing to carry a wireless charging dock with a mobile product such as a Surface.

I'd love to have somekind of device which combines both technologies so we have somekind of transition.
But hey that's just my opinion...I'm always in for some good innovation but it'll make me feel like when apple decided to go for a new connection port and I totaly bailed on them because none of my accesoires were compatible anymore. (was a good decision since I now ended op with a SP3 ;-) )

 

[Aaron Pepelis]

nope, they already said that the SP4 will work with all SP3 accessories. which includes that dock.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2824...rface-line-and-surface-pro-3-accessories.html

 

[GreyFox7]

The wireless hub will mate with the Dock.

Portless is Seattle ... Dang, why didn't I think of that earlier. I could have included it in the headline.

 

[Aaron Pepelis]

that doesn't make any sense. The point of a dock is having something that hold your surface up so you can see the face of it with xxx ports, etc in the back. imagine having to carry some other piece of crap around that somehow connects from the mDP to the USB port to wirelessly connect to the SP4? ridiculous. The SP4 will look a lot like the SP3. Just like the SP2 looks a lot like the SP.

 

[GreyFox7]

that doesn't make any sense. The point of a dock is having something that hold your surface up so you can see the face of it with xxx ports, etc in the back. imagine having to carry some other piece of crap around that somehow connects from the mDP to the USB port to wirelessly connect to the SP4? ridiculous. The SP4 will look a lot like the SP3. Just like the SP2 looks a lot like the SP.

Change is hard to accept for many people... I see you're one of them.

 

[Aaron Pepelis]

enterprise also don't like change and enterprise is just finally accepting the SP as a valid line up. Companies that I know are finally starting to give them out to employees. If they update the dock again... they are going to lose people. I already hate the fact that if I upgrade, I will have to get a new dock for my SP set up since the SP3 doesn't fit in the SP2 dock.

 

[GreyFox7]

enterprise also don't like change and enterprise is just finally accepting the SP as a valid line up. Companies that I know are finally starting to give them out to employees. If they update the dock again... they are going to lose people. I already hate the fact that if I upgrade, I will have to get a new dock for my SP set up since the SP3 doesn't fit in the SP2 dock.

You fail to realize in my hypothetical environment this system works with the dock and doesn't require a different dock and in fact there isn't a different dock because I don't envision needing one. While in your hypothetical contra environment nothing is allowed to work because you don't want it too. A negative, change resistant, Nelly.

learn to embrace change and be happy because change is coming whether you want it or not. Maybe SP5 wont have ports and SP4 will still have ports but the possibility is real that an SP4 could be 100% functionally equivalent without them. There could even be two designs, a Core-M fanless, portless model and traditional i5/i7 design with fans and ports. Free your mind.