Surface All Access was one of the less heralded announcements to come out of this week's Microsoft event. But it could have a more lasting impact than any of the devices that were announced.

Surface All Access is the successor to Surface Plus, at least for consumers. Announced a year ago, Surface Plus allowed individuals and businesses to purchase Surface PCs in a very flexible way: You paid for the hardware over two years, with no money up front and no interest charges. There literally wasn't a catch.