Today, Microsoft kicked off its annual Build conference in Seattle. As the tech giant begins a week of panels, keynotes and on-site demonstrations, new Surface “Copilot+” devices as well as AI-powered innovations have been revealed.
During a closed-door speech, Microsoft officially announced the “next generation of Windows AI PCs.” The new Surface devices, leveraging Copilot+, are billed as “the most powerful Windows PC ever.” As Copilot+ is a new vertical for Microsoft’s AI project, the company has 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 inches PixelSense Flow screen choice. At launch, it comes in four different colors, including ‘Sapphire”, “Dune”, “Platinum” and “Black”.’ The new laptop is said to be 86% faster than the Surface Laptop 5. Microsoft announced that the new device has the longest battery life of a Surface. Competitive with the Surface Laptop 5 and the M3 MacBook Air, the Copilot+PC Surface Laptop’s battery lasts longer than both, according to the company. Microsoft claims the new device has an all-day battery with 22 hours of video playback. Microsoft also claims 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% faster than the previous Surface Pro 9. It has WiFi 7, optional 5G and supports up to three displays. Surface Laptop Pro offers a 13-inch PixelSense Flow display, with a great OLED option too. The bezel incorporates a new quad HD front camera. On the back, Microsoft has integrated a camera with support for 4K video. The movable, detachable flex keyboard now offers brighter backlighting and a customizable haptic touchpad, designed for accessibility.
Microsoft’s new Surface laptops are starting to $1,449.99 in Canada. Pre-orders for the new devices begin today and will begin shipping on June 18.
Alongside Surface, Microsoft detailed its new Copilot+ PC AI platform. The company is bringing its Copilot AI technology to the Azure cloud in an entirely 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 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage at a minimum. Compared to traditional PCs, Microsoft claims its new AI platform is 24% 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% faster than the MacBook Air M3, Microsoft claims.
The new Copilot platform allows users to drag and drop information from a window to the chat bar. Whether it’s a question in a text box or getting suggestions for places to dine, Copilot+ can better answer queries across multiple apps. Users can also edit an app using Copilot+ without having to open an app. At launch, Copilot+ is natively integrated with Spotify, Disney+, Chrome and other partner apps. Adobe’s Photoshop, Light Room, and Photoshop Express are all available today. More Adobe apps will be added later.
Copilot+ is also more integrated with Microsoft’s gaming initiative. In a demo, Microsoft showed how Minecraft players can talk to Copilot as if he were a friend. Copilot can read the game screen and provide real-time guidance. A player might ask questions such as “How do I build a sword?” » Copilot+ can respond and help create one with conversational responses. Later, when a zombie approaches, Copilot gives audible advice 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 also feature a brand new “Reminder” feature. While preserving privacy, Microsoft designed Recall to naturally link past searches, queries, and other information. By taking what are called “snapshots,” Recall extracts local apps and browsing data to remember contextual information for use later. For example, if a team is collaborating on a project and some files may have been misplaced. Using the Copilot sidebar, a user can enter a specific item from the project and retrieve it. Additionally, using a timeline in Recall, users can extract information using just a time or date to extract information from an interaction with a colleague. Pete Kyriacou, vice president of Microsoft, explains that Recall takes a screenshot “once every five seconds.” However, it understands when the device is in use or not so as not to waste memory allocations.
Preview booster launch on June 18. The feature is used keeping security and privacy measures in mind. Users have the option to turn off the reminder feature completely in Settings. Users can also customize which apps Recall can draw from. At launch, specific websites may also be blocked from Microsoft’s Edge browser. Microsoft confirms that information will only be stored and used on local personal devices. Queries, search results, etc. will not be extracted and stored by the company. Kyriacou confirms that it does not use “any of this data for training purposes”.
Stay tuned as we have more news regarding Microsoft Build 2024.
