Today, Microsoft kicked off its annual Build conference in Seattle. As the tech giant begins a week of panels, keynotes and on-site demos, new ‘Copilot+’ Surface devices as well as AI-powered innovations were revealed.
In a behind-closed-doors keynote, Microsoft officially announced the “next-generation of Windows AI PCs.” The new Surface devices, leveraging Copilot+, are said to be “the most powered Windows PC ever built.” With Copilot+ being a new vertical for Microsoft’s AI venture, the company revealed its new Surface Laptop and Surface Laptop Pro, both powered by the new AI platform.
The new Surface Laptop launches with 13.8 and 15-inch PixelSense Flow display options. At launch, it’s available in four different colours, including ‘Sapphire,’ ‘Dune,’ ‘Platinum,’ and ‘Black.’ The new laptop is said to be 86 percent faster than the Surface Laptop 5. Microsoft announced the new device features the longest battery life of a Surface. Competitive to the Surface Laptop 5 and M3 MacBook Air, the Copilot+PC Surface Laptop’s battery outlasts both, according to the company. Microsoft claims the new device features an all-day battery with 22 hours of video playback. Microsoft also touts that the new Surface Laptop supports up to 13 hours of browsing.
Microsoft also revealed the new Copilot+ Surface Pro. The 2-in-1 device is said to be 90 percent faster than the previous Surface Pro 9. It features WiFi 7, optional 5G and support for up to three displays. Surface Laptop Pro offers a 13-inch PixelSense Flow display, with a stunning OLED option as well. Built into the bezel is a new quad HD front-facing camera. On the rear, Microsoft built in a camera with 4K video support. The mobile, detachable flex keyboard now offers brighter backlighting and a customizable haptic touchpad, designed for accessibility.
Microsoft’s new Surface laptops start at $1,449.99 in Canada. Preorders for the new devices start today and begin shipping on June 18.
Alongside Surface, Microsoft detailed its new Copilot+ PC AI platform. The company is integrating its Copilot AI technology with Azure cloud in a brand new Copilot+ PC category. Copilot+ PCs feature a new neural processing unit (NPU) supporting 40 trillion operations per second. The new NPU can also support 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage at a minimum. Compared to traditional PCs, Microsoft states its new AI platform is 24 percent more efficient. Copilot+ will be supported by partners like Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Acer, HP, Samsung, and others. Copilot+ PC will debut on SnapDragon X series chips, making it 58 percent faster than the M3 MacBook Air, Microsoft claims.
The new Copilot platform enables users to drag and drop information from one window to the chatbar. Whether it’s a question in a text box or getting suggestions on places to dine, Copilot+ can better assist with queries across multiple apps. Users can also edit an app using Copilot+ without having to open an app. At launch, Copilot+ is being natively integrated across Spotify, Disney+, Chrome, and more partnered apps. Adobe’s Photoshop, Light Room, and Photoshop Express are all available today. Other Adobe apps will be added down the road.
Copilot+ is also being integrated more into Microsoft’s gaming initiative. In a demo, Microsoft showed how Minecraft players can speak to Copilot as if it were a friend. Copilot can read the in-game screen and provide tips in real time. A player could ask questions like “How do I build a sword?” Copilot+ can react and assist in how to build one with conversational responses. Later, as a Zombie approaches, Copilot gives audible tips to avoid the enemy. Xbox games like Microsoft Flight Simulator and Sea of Thieves running on Copilot+PC devices will also see new AI integrations.
Copilot+ PCs are also coming along with a brand new ‘Recall’ feature. While maintaining privacy, Microsoft designed Recall to naturally link together prior searches, queries, and other information. Taking what is known as “Snapshots,” Recall pulls from local apps and browsing data to remember contextual information to use down the road. For example, if a team is collaborating on a project and certain files may have been misplaced. Using the Copilot sidebar, a user could type a specific element from the project and pull it up. Additionally, using a timeline in Recall, users can pull information using only a time or date to pull information from an interaction with a coworker. Microsoft’s Corporate VP Pete Kyriacou explains that Recall takes a screenshot “once every five seconds.” However, it understands when the device is being used or not so it doesn’t waste memory allocations.
Recall launching in Preview on June 18th. The feature is being used with safety and privacy measures in mind. Users have the option to completely disable the Recall feature in the Settings. Users can also tailor which apps Recall can pull from. At launch, specific websites can also be blocked from Recall on Microsoft’s Edge browser. Microsoft confirms that information will only be stored and used on local personal devices. Queries, search results, etc. won’t be pulled and stored by the company. Kyriacou confirms that it doesn’t “use any of that data for training.”
Stay tuned as we’ll have more news coming out of Microsoft Build 2024.
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