I've been calling on Microsoft to add USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 to its Surface PCs for years. And in doing so, I envisioned a transition---that never seems to happen---in which it will slowly move each model, one by one, from the proprietary Surface Connector to this industry standard.

Now, however, I believe that there is a happy middle ground between my desire for Microsoft to do what I think is the right thing and Microsoft's often-stated reasons for sticking with Surface Connector. In fact, it seems rather obvious in retrospect.