As Microsoft looks to breathe a new lease of life into its notebook sales, it’s doubling down on its commitment towards AI integration into PCs.
Already, Microsoft has said that it will be holding an event on the morning of May 20 where CEO Satya Nadella will discuss the company’s “AI vision across hardware and software.”
Microsoft believes that a new set of ARM-powered Windows laptops will trump Apple’s M3-powered MacBook Air both in CPU performance as well as AI-accelerated tasks.
Microsoft also contends that the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors will effectively take on Apple. The Snapdragon X Elite processors will ship in a variety of Windows laptops this year and its Surface hardware.
Now further reports emerging show just how laser-focused Microsoft is on its AI ambitions. For the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update, Microsoft is readying to launch a host of new AI features.
In fact, it will also have a warning message in the form of a watermark if the device does not have the hardware to support its AI apps. Reports indicate that those minimum requirements are an ARM64 processor, 16GB of memory, 225GB of total storage, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite NPU.
In January, ChannelNews revealed that AI will be only a keypress away on Windows devices with Microsoft announcing a new “Copilot Key” will join the iconic Windows key on PC keyboards.
Microsoft says the new Copilot key marks the first significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades. It joins the Windows key as a core part of the PC keyboard and when pressed, the new key will invoke the Copilot in Windows experience to make it seamless to engage Copilot and its AI capability in day-to-day computing.
“In this new year, Microsoft will be ushering in a significant shift toward a more personal and intelligent computing future where AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system, to the silicon, to the hardware,” says Microsoft in a blogpost. “This will not only simplify people’s computing experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC.”
Is this finally the year, where Microsoft’s notebook sales go through the roof, leaving Apple to play catch-up? May 20 will hold a definitive answer to that question.
