Microsoft 'declared war' on Apple

Before the Build 2024 developer conference took place on May 21, Microsoft held a separate event to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) tools and new generation Surface computers.

Microsoft envisions Copilot+PC, a computer with the ability to run generative AI tasks directly instead of relying on the cloud. In addition to the Surface ecosystem, several manufacturers also launched the first Copilot+PC computers. The company also introduced some AI features coming to Windows 11.

Microsoft 'declared war' on Apple Picture 1

Optimized calculator for Copilot

One of the highlights of the event revolved around Copilot+PC - a standard for computers revolving around the AI ​​tool of the same name. The device needs to have a neural processing unit (NPU) with at least 40 TOPS (trillion operations per second), at least 16 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD.

According to Engadget , this is a necessary parameter to run AI-generated tasks on laptops, without needing the Internet to connect to the server. This approach is applied on some high-end smartphones, such as the Google Pixel.

Microsoft said it has "re-architected" Windows 11 to optimize systems that integrate the central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU) and NPU. The company also cooperates with a number of chip manufacturers such as AMD, Intel, Qualcomm, in addition to laptop companies.

During the event, Microsoft announced that Copilot+PC was 58% faster than the MacBook Air using the M3 chip. Systems can run dozens of small language models, serving some features as standalone Copilot applications.

Surface Pro and Laptops integrate AI

Microsoft also introduced Surface models for general users. Of course, this is one of the first Copilot+PCs on the market.

Surface Laptop 2024 has a thin screen border, equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chip. The device has 2 options of 13.8 and 15 inches, 86% faster performance than Surface Laptop 5, maximum RAM of 32 GB and maximum SSD of 1 TB.

Switching to ARM architecture can extend battery life on the Surface Laptop 2024. Microsoft says the 15-inch version offers up to 22 hours of use when playing offline videos, and 15 hours of continuous web browsing. The product is expected to hit shelves on June 18 with a starting price of 1,000 USD.

Meanwhile, Surface Pro 2024 adds OLED options and Snapdragon X Elite chip for the first time. Microsoft claims the device runs 90% faster than the previous generation, with 14 hours of battery life when watching videos offline. However, the device only has 2 USB-C ports.

The starting price of Surface Pro OLED is 1,500 USD. If it's too expensive, users can choose the LCD version for $1,000, Snapdragon X Plus chip, 256GB SSD and 16GB RAM.

Besides new hardware, Microsoft also introduced a number of accessories such as the Surface Pro Flex keyboard priced at 350 USD, or 450 USD if purchased with a Surface Pen stylus.

Third-party Copilot laptops

Not only Microsoft, Samsung, Asus, Lenovo, Acer and Dell also introduced the first Copilot+PCs. For example, Asus Vivobook S 15 with Snapdragon X Elite chip, NPU 45 TOP, 15.6 inch OLED screen and weight of 1.4 kg (lighter than 15 inch MacBook Air).

Besides Copilot, the product also integrates some Asus AI features such as AiSense infrared camera, the ability to fine-tune the screen when detecting user activities. In addition, the StoryCube application can automatically classify RAW and compressed images, serving people who regularly take photos.

HP also introduced the Omnibook X (starting price $1,200) and Elitebook Ultra (starting price $1,700). This is an opportunity for the company to promote a new computer brand called Omni, replacing the entire Specter, Pavilion and Envy lines.

Although some AI features on Windows 11 have not yet been released, news site Engadget does not appreciate the design on new HP laptops.

Although equipped with a 3.5 mm headphone port, the product only has 2 additional USB-C ports and one USB-A port. In return, HP claims the Omnibook X's battery life can reach 26 hours when playing offline videos.

Lenovo introduced two Copilot+PC computer models, including the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 and Yoga Slim 7x, while Dell also introduced 5 new models. All use Snapdragon X chip, ARM architecture with NPU 45 TOP instead of AMD or Intel.

Windows 11 is optimized for ARM

Because Snapdragon chips use ARM architecture, Microsoft has optimized Windows 11 for this architecture. Compared to Intel or AMD, Qualcomm's chips still ensure high performance, energy and cost savings.

Microsoft once tried to bring Windows to ARM chips but was unsuccessful. Therefore, the company spent time optimizing Windows 11 with AI, working better on ARM chips.

According to Microsoft, Windows 11 now integrates a new computational driver to recognize the NPU, and AI-related APIs are also integrated directly into the operating system.

Despite optimizing ARM chips, Windows 11 on these devices can still run x86 or x64 applications thanks to the Prism emulator, a 20% speed improvement compared to Microsoft's previous emulation tool.

Currently, all of Microsoft's default applications are optimized to run on ARM chips. Third-party apps such as Chrome, Spotify, Zoom, WhatsApp, DaVinci Resolve or many Adobe software will also have ARM versions.

AI continues to "land" Windows 11

With optimized hardware and software, Copilot+PC models will take advantage of a series of new AI features on Windows 11. The first is Recall, which allows users to find actions they performed on the computer in the past using How to enter commands.

For example, if you refer to a phone model from a few months ago and want to find the information again, users can describe it by text or voice for Recall to help find it.

According to Engadget , the tool can also mine emails, documents, and messages to find information. Microsoft affirms that the data that Recall references is stored on the computer and is not used to train the AI ​​model.

Microsoft also turned Copilot into its own application, which can be activated as a sidebar, full screen or windowed. Users can give information to Copilot by dragging and dropping.

Next, Microsoft Paint will integrate the Cocreator image creation tool with a number of features such as a "creativity" slider, allowing to adjust the level of AI's original image intervention.

In addition, Live Captions mode can translate some languages ​​into English in real time. In Windows Photos, the Super Resolution feature can restore old photos.

Finally, there is Microsoft's in-game image enhancement technology. Similar to Nvidia's DLSS, Auto Super Resolution will take advantage of AI to increase graphics and frame rates in games without affecting performance.

Micah Soto

Update 22 May 2024