Thicker Keyboard w/ an extra battery a possibility?? Surface Team vaguely says yes!

[Darkvette07]

The Surface Team did a Q&A today on reddit where prospective users could ask them questions regarding the Surface pro. I read most of them but the response that, I was interested was this one:

[–]irishchug 4 points 57 minutes ago
Does Microsoft have any plans for an external battery or for a thicker keyboard cover that has an extra battery? Or, if I want an external battery brick, is there a third party one I can buy that can be used with the surface.

[–]SurfaceTeam 7 points 6 minutes ago
That would require extending the design of the accessory spine to include some way to transfer higher current between the peripheral and the main battery. Which we did...


I know its vague but gives me hope that we might see some sort of Microsoft or aftermarket keyboard that will provide additional battery life in the future.

 

[magicrobots]

Ha! Sneaky bastards. Nice find!

 

[dlacaba]

Hmmm.... I wonder if it does video too? Maybe they're quietly planning on a docking station?

 

[Darkvette07]

Here is another response from the surface team regarding the connector on bottom of the Surface pro:

[–]e9G7ymWec4svnd6Cq9A9 4 points 1 hour ago
What are the new connectors on the bottom of the Surface Pro for?

SurfaceTeam 17 points 1 hour ago
Wow - I'm pumped you caught that - we haven't announced what they are for but they aren't an accident! At launch we talked about the "accessory spine" and hinted at future peripherals that can click in and do more. Those connectors look like can carry more current than the pogo pins, don't they?

 

[J515OP]

I am not surprised to hear about some sort of docking solution for the Pro in particular. It makes sense and it is good to hear it may be more than just a "possibility".

 

[xterrapro]

Nice - but not sure I'm interested in a 3 pound pro. One of the reasons my ATIV500 went back is that the kybd was a brick, it was as heavy as Asus's and did not even have a battery.

 

[tonyz3]

I think this would be an option I would definitely consider. Most likely depending on how much a keyboard with bat weighs it would be used on trips that would last more than 4 hours.