Microsoft unveiled its first Surface PCs with a dedicated Copilot button for quick access to an AI chatbot on Thursday, March 22, fulfilling a promise the company made in January.
The dedicated button, which sits to the left of the arrow keys on the keyboard, marks a significant change to PC keyboard design in decades. While Microsoft is not the world's largest PC maker, its Windows operating system is the most popular.
Hey there!
So, Lenovo's got PCs with Copilot buttons now, and Dell and HP are hoppin' on the bandwagon too.
Microsoft's Surface line has always been a showcase for innovative Windows PC features. And with the Surface Pro 10 for Business and Surface Laptop 6 for Business, they're showing off the convenience of one-click AI.
When you use Copilot, you just type in a few keywords and the system calls on OpenAI's AI model to crunch the numbers and send back a response from servers in a remote data center.
Microsoft's calling these new babies "AI PCs." The new button lets you summon the Copilot pane on the right side of your screen anytime, and its built-in AI chip helps solve your problems. Every new Surface PC since 2019 has had an Intel Core Ultra processor with a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), and that's a big deal for Surface.
With the NPU, your PC can be more responsive and secure. Windows 11 has a bunch of AI features these days, like automatic transcription of audio and simulated eye contact in video calls, and those run through the NPU, freeing up the rest of the chip for other tasks.
Microsoft's latest product launch comes about two weeks after Apple's. Earlier this month, Apple unveiled its new MacBook Air laptop, which features an updated Neural Engine accelerator in its M3 chip. Apple has touted the MacBook Air as "the world's best consumer notebook for AI."
The new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop start at $1,199 and can be configured with up to 64GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. They're available for pre-order in select markets today and will begin shipping on April 9th.
However, these new Surface devices aren't intended for general consumers.
"We remain committed to bringing devices to consumers," a spokesperson told us via email. "Creating premium devices that people love is part of our mission to empower individuals and organizations. We are excited to bring these devices to market and deliver amazing AI experiences to our customers. This commercial launch is just the first step in our journey."
