The Microsoft Audio Dock, Presenter+ are your new Surface gadgets

The Floor Dock is dead. Prolonged are living the Microsoft Audio Dock.

Microsoft announced the Microsoft Audio Dock on Wednesday, a new USB-C dock that will join to the Thunderbolt 4 ports that are developed into its new Surface area Professional 9, Area Notebook 5, and Surface area Studio 2+. It’s yet another indication that, as we predicted, the Area Dock is useless, alongside the fact that Microsoft no more time sells it on its web-site.

As an alternative, Microsoft has gone in a unique way, arguing that you will want a speaker on your desk as a substitute. No, this is not a good speaker—Microsoft killed off the Cortana performance from the Harman Kardon Invoke in 2021, and has moved rather to Groups-aligned speakers for business as a substitute. Now, Microsoft appears to be adapting its Modern USB-C Speaker to your desk.

At 6.6 x 3.16 x 3.19 inches, and with a 54 x 48 x 41.5mm woofer/25.9 x 11.6mm tweeter within of it, Microsoft seems to be striving to design and style a hybrid speaker dock for both of those operate and play. The matte-black dock is not limited to Thunderbolt, on the other hand, which usually means that a larger wide range of devices can join to it. Microsoft is not splitting the distinction by applying DisplayLink, both.

As a substitute, the port collection features:

• 1 HDMI 2. port with 4K@60Hz
• 1 10Gbps USB-C (USB3.1 Gen 2, ability up to 7.5W) with assist DP alt mode, up to Twin Display screen
• 1 10Gbps USB-C (USB3.1 Gen 2 data only, electrical power up to 7.5W)
• 1 10Gbps USB-A 3.2 (USB3.1 Gen2)
• An upstream 10Gbps USB-C port to your Computer, with charging up to 60W

The range of data sorts and abilities complicates matters, but the upshot is this: The Audio Dock supports a immediate HDMI cable connection to an exterior 4K60 exhibit. A next USB-C cable can also join to a different display screen, even though it will fundamentally be splitting the upstream USB-C cable connection—possibly avoiding it from supporting nearly anything other than a 1080p exhibit, or two 4K displays at decreased resolutions. (Microsoft would say only that “dual 4K output is accessible when the host Laptop supports DSC [Display Stream Compression].” The other USB-C and USB-A ports can only be utilised for details, these as for peripherals.

Microsoft

It is to some degree puzzling, due to the fact the images Microsoft has supplied of the Audio Dock don’t feel to suggest which USB-C port can be used for a screen, and which can’t. Ability output of 7.5W from either USB-C port, nevertheless, need to charge most smartphones, and the 60W electrical power that the USB-C cable supplies to your Computer system matches up properly with the 60W its new Surface area Laptop 5 consumes.

But this is a lot more than just an audio dock. Microsoft intended this unit specifically for Teams, and there’s an integrated “Teams button” to help you rapidly be part of a Groups phone and practically elevate your hand. The dock speakers, as well, help 200Hz to 8KHz for videoconferencing and 70Hz to 20KHz for tunes playback, a wider dynamic variety. There are two omnidirectional mics to enable decide up your voice, as perfectly. We can only believe that Windows will be smart more than enough to detect the Dock and its speakers and filter out history noises.

Microsoft

Microsoft also features a new gadget to support presentations in Teams: The Microsoft Presenter+ is a compact 3-inch remote that can be applied to control slides, amid other capabilities. The little rechargeable (two hrs to cost, with up to six days of battery lifestyle) Bluetooth 5.1 device features a Teams button for joining a get in touch with and raising your digital hand, as effectively as left and correct buttons to advance the slides. A little indicator mild also highlights no matter whether you are muted or not.

Presenter+ supports PowerPoint, Prezi, and Keynote, Microsoft explained.

Microsoft

It need to be observed that neither the Audio Dock or the Presenter+ is special to Microsoft Area equipment, even though Microsoft clearly made them with its Surfaces gadgets in intellect. Microsoft did not disclose the cost of either approaching solution nevertheless preorders get started currently. The two will ship on October 25.