Microsoft on Monday debuted a new category of personal computers with advanced AI features, marking a significant push to integrate emerging technology into its product lineup and compete with tech giants Alphabet and Apple. At an event held on its Redmond, Washington campus, CEO Satya Nadella introduced “Copilot+” PCs, which will be sold by various manufacturers, including Acer and Asustek Computer.
The new AI-enhanced laptops, starting at $1,000, will begin shipping on June 18. These devices are designed to handle more artificial intelligence tasks locally, without relying heavily on cloud data centers. One of the showcased features, “Recall,” helps users find files and other data on their PC, even from previously opened browser tabs. Microsoft also demonstrated its Copilot voice assistant serving as a real-time virtual coach for users playing the “Minecraft” video game.
Yusuf Mehdi, head of consumer marketing at Microsoft, stated that the company anticipates that 50 million AI PCs will be purchased over the next year. He emphasized that faster AI assistants running directly on a PC will be “the most compelling reason to upgrade your PC in a long time.”
Global PC shipments fell about 15% to 242 million units last year, according to research firm Gartner. Microsoft’s new AI PCs are expected to make up approximately one-fifth of all PCs sold in the upcoming year.
So, Microsoft is rolling out a new AI feature that will take constant screenshots of your computer and store them for “recall.” Umm…does this include any financial information I have open? And can the government subpoena these screenshots? pic.twitter.com/IVMspT914s
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) May 23, 2024
Analyst Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies noted, “People just need to be convinced that the device experience alone justifies this entirely new category of Copilot+ machines.” This marketing approach is reminiscent of Intel’s “Ultrabook” category of thin-form Windows laptops introduced in 2011 to compete with Apple’s MacBook Air.
Microsoft also announced that GPT-4, the latest technology from OpenAI, will soon be integrated into Microsoft Copilot. Additionally, a new generation of Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet and Surface Laptop featuring Qualcomm chips based on Arm Holdings’ architecture was introduced. The company unveiled a technology called Prism, designed to help software written for Intel and AMD chips run on Arm-based chips.
In a demonstration, Microsoft showed its new devices outperforming an Apple device, with Adobe photo editing software running faster on the Microsoft machine. Earlier this month, Apple showcased a new AI-focused chip expected to be used in future laptops.
The PC industry has been under pressure from Apple since it launched custom chips based on Arm designs, providing Macs with superior battery life and performance. Microsoft enlisted Qualcomm in 2016 to lead the transition of the Windows operating system to Arm’s chip designs. Qualcomm’s exclusivity on Microsoft Windows devices expires this year, and other chip designers, like Nvidia, are working on their own Arm-based PC chips.
Microsoft’s event comes a day before its annual developer conference, signaling its commitment to extending its advantage in the AI tool market. The partnership with OpenAI has allowed Microsoft to leap ahead of Alphabet, as tech companies race to dominate the emerging AI field.
Recently, OpenAI and Google’s Alphabet showcased AI technologies capable of real-time, uninterrupted voice interactions, a significant advancement in realistic voice conversations for AI assistants. Google also announced the rollout of several generative AI features to its search engine.
As Microsoft continues to integrate AI into its products, it aims to offer consumers innovative tools that enhance productivity and user experience, maintaining its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.
