We’re still about a month away from Build, but Microsoft is doing a little test run this week in the form of an online-only event. What’s being billed as a Windows event is unsurprisingly focused on AI efforts, with Copilot taking the helm. A pair of refreshes to the Surface line announced at the event unsurprisingly put the software giant’s chatbot front and center.
The new Surface Pro 10 for Business and Surface Laptop 6 for Business have a dedicated Copilot key that is wedged between the Alt key and the arrows. In a Position Posted this morning, Surface general manager Nancie Gaskill writes: “The new Copilot key on Surface Laptop 6 makes accessing the power of artificial intelligence even easier, with a quick press of a button to invoke Copilot in Windows to help customers to plan their day, find a document using natural text, analyze a website and more with built-in commercial data protection.”
Image Credits: Microsoft
The key is at the core of what the company refers to as “the first Surface PCs optimized for artificial intelligence.” Certainly, integrating Copilot directly into its keyboards signals a level of commitment to what is still a young project, with MS only having released Copilot for Microsoft 365 a year ago this month. And I’m not going to spoil the mood by pointing out that Cortana keys were also a thing at one point.
The systems arrive just under four months into what a handful of highly-paid brand executives have dubbed “AI PCs.” This and “smart artificial smartphones” like the Samsung Galaxy S24 are meaningless labels. Intel has spent the past few months promoting its “Intel-powered AI PC,” while Apple recently declared its M3 MacBook Airs “the best consumer laptops for AI.”
While such language ultimately means very little to the consumer at the end of the day, “AI-optimized” strikes a healthy balance in driving the new trend without over-promising. At the end of the day, a Copilot button is just a physical shortcut that brings up a specific service. It is, however, a commitment in a way, given that space is at a premium on a laptop/tablet keyboard.
Image Credits: Microsoft
In terms of out-of-the-box Copilot functionality, Microsoft highlights things like handwriting analysis for OneNote. That the key has been added to a pair of enterprise-focused devices underscores how much the company sees Copilot as an important business play.
Surface Laptop 6 for Business features an Intel Core Ultra 5 or 7 processor, paired with the Intel Boost NPY neural processing unit, 8–64 GB of RAM, and up to 1 TB of storage. The display comes in 13.5-inch and 15-inch touchscreen varieties, with a claimed battery life of 18.5 and 19 hours, respectively. Surface Pro 10 for Business features a 13-inch touchscreen, powered by either Intel Core Ultra 5 or 7 and Intel AI Boost NPU.
