Microsoft's total dismissal of USB-C and the Thunderbolt 3 standard on the Surface Pro 6 is insanity at this stage, and I've written why here. It's a 2018 machine with the support for pre-2015 accessories, which is when USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 started appearing on mainstream devices.
In a nutshell, it stops anyone from adopting superior USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 accessories — like external hard drives — for their entire ownership of the Surface Pro 6, which could be years.
You also can't use USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 for docking stations, which let you plug in all your external devices and accessories, including a laptop's charger, into a single port. Microsoft has it's own solution with the pricey $200 Surface Dock, but it uses the company's proprietary Surface Connector, and it doesn't support USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 devices, either.
It's also a hugely limiting factor for anyone who has already adopted USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 accessories and plans to use the Surface Pro 6 as their primary device. If you do have a computer that supports USB-C/Thunderbolt 3, the Surface Pro 6 is a secondary device at best.
In my case, it's true that all my current accessories plug into the Surface Pro 6 or a Surface Dock without issue, as I haven't adopted USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 devices. But what if I (and you) wanted to dive into USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 in a year or so? What if I need to buy a new device that's available with USB-C/Thunderbolt 3? I'd be limited in buying the older models that support regular USB-A, which use slower standards. Not exactly the cutting edge of tech.
To boot, the Surface Pro 6's single regular USB-A port, as well as the multiple USB ports on the Surface Dock, only support USB 3.0, not USB 3.1, which is twice as fast. It's not likely to affect casual user needs too much, but any professional won't find the support they're looking for, at least in a brand-new device in 2018.
To be clear, I don't support Apple's aggressive move to all-USB-C laptops, either. It's too much of a shock, and it's a bet that doesn't seem to be panning out for Apple. I was able to hook up my camera to transfer the photos in this review directly to the Surface Pro 6 without an adapter, whereas I need a USB-C dongle to connect my camera to my 2016 all-USB-C MacBook Pro.
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