Following through on a promise it made in January, Microsoft is releasing the first Surface PC with a dedicated Copilot button on the keyboard for quick access to chatbots.
The addition of buttons to the left of the arrow keys represents the biggest change to computer keyboards in decades. Microsoft isn’t the biggest PC seller (that title goes to Lenovo), but it runs the most popular operating system in Windows. Lenovo, like Dell and HP, announced their own PCs with Copilot keys.
But the Surface has always been a showcase of what Windows machines can be, and with two new PCs, the new convertible Surface Pro 10 for Business and the Surface We are trying to clarify the convenience of using intelligence. Business Laptop 6.
Powered by AI models from Microsoft-backed OpenAI, users type a few words into Copilot, and servers in distant data centers perform the computing work needed to create a response.
The Copilot key on Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 for Business appears to the left of the arrow keys.
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Microsoft calls these new machines AI PCs. The new key, which allows the user to open his Copilot panel at any time on the right side of the screen, plays an important role along with the silicon inside. Each computer is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra processor that includes a special neural processing engine (NPU). Surface computers have had his NPU since 2019.
Having these NPUs on your PC provides benefits such as faster response and improved security. AI features recently added to Windows 11, such as automatic voice transcription and simulating eye contact during video calls, run on the NPU, freeing up the rest of the chip for other tasks.
The introduction comes two weeks after Apple announced MacBook Air laptops with Neural Engine accelerators upgraded to custom M3 chips. “MacBook Air continues to be the world’s best AI-enabled consumer laptop,” Apple said in a statement.
The new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop start at $1,199 and can be configured with up to 64 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. Pre-orders are available in select markets starting today, with shipping starting April 9th.
Microsoft won’t be releasing these Surface models to consumers anytime soon.
“We remain fully committed to consumer devices,” a spokesperson told CNBC in an email. “Building great devices that people want to use aligns closely with our mission to empower individuals as well as organizations. We’re excited to bring the device to market, and this commercial announcement is just the first part of this effort.
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