Ahhh, the Windows PC, the bane of corporate America. It’s like my digestive system in winter: prone to viruses, frequently crashing, and always fighting off bugs.
However, Windows’ reputation might be changing soon, according to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella:
“Apple’s done a fantastic job of really innovating on the Mac. We’re going to outperform them. We finally feel we have a very competitive product.”
Introducing Copilot+ PCs
Microsoft's latest innovation, the Copilot+ PC, is a laptop designed to excel in AI. Literally. It’s powered by Arm-designed Qualcomm Snapdragon X series chips, neural processing units (NPUs), and edge computing.
Totally not complicated stuff!
YouTube video by Windows: Introducing Copilot+ PCs
It’s Copilot integrated into every way you interact with the PC. No app, no ChatGPT in your browser, no internet necessary. And it comes packed with powerful features:
- 1. Copilot can see your screen while you work.
Sound familiar? That’s because OpenAI introduced a similar feature with ChatGPT-4o last week. Naturally, Copilot runs on GPT-4o.
BTW, we've tested ChatGPT’s desktop app on Mac, and its "vision" is pretty sharp, helping with things like tech support and explaining images.
A vision-capable AI on Windows could be even more powerful because it’ll connect with the Office apps you’re using on your screen. Imagine, “Hey, does this Word format match our company’s template?”
- 2. It can locate anything you've ever searched for or viewed on your computer using "Recall," which essentially takes screenshots of your screen 24/7.
You could ask it to find things like “Neuron piece about GPT-4o from last week” or “document [x client] sent me last week.”
Black Mirror much? Absolutely. Would we still use this? Definitely. Microsoft assures that everything Recall sees remains private.
If Recall looks familiar, it’s because Limitless (formerly Rewind) has been developing a similar concept as a web/Mac/Windows app for 18 months. RIP to its Windows version...perhaps its upcoming wearable will fare better!
- 3. Real-time translation and transcription of meetings across any call app (Zoom, Teams, Meet) in over 40 languages.
Moving Towards an AI-Integrated World
We’re moving towards a world where AI isn't just a website but is woven into every aspect of how we interact with devices. Microsoft is determined not to repeat its smartphone missteps this time.
But we’re very interested to see what Apple has up its sleeve turtleneck. We know a “major announcement” is expected at its June 10th WWDC event, one that involves an OpenAI integration (did someone say GPT-4o-powered Siri??).
Hear Pete’s honest reaction to all of this and more on today’s podcast (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube).
Microsoft Unveils AI-Capable Windows PCs
Microsoft introduced new software and computers infused with artificial intelligence (AI) features – stepping up its efforts to out-compete Alphabet’s Google and Apple in the dawning AI age.
A new category of AI-focused personal computers (PCs) will be called Copilot+PC, chief executive officer Satya Nadella said at an event Monday at Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington, campus.
The machines from Microsoft’s Surface line and manufacturing partners will offer more power and will be 58% faster than Apple’s top-of-the-line MacBook Air M3, the company said, thanks in part to a special chip that is dedicated to AI processing. The new machines will start at $1,000.
Microsoft also said OpenAI’s GPT-4o, an updated version of its GPT-4 that is better at handling text, audio, and images in real-time, will soon come to the company’s Copilot AI assistant.
Recall: Your Personal Photographic Memory
Microsoft demonstrated a feature called Recall that is designed to help users find a buried browser tab, file, email, or chat, based on conversational language prompts. It will be like “photographic memory,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s consumer chief marketing officer.
“The pursuit has always been about how to build computers that understand us, instead of us having to understand computers and I feel like we really are close to that real breakthrough,” Nadella said.
A live captions feature in Windows can translate any video content into English from 40 languages in real time. Because it is part of the operating system, the feature works on any conferencing or entertainment apps.
Enhancing Communication with AI
Organizations today operate in an increasingly global environment with fluid, dynamic workstyles and a diversity of languages, abilities, and locations. To help empower employees and serve customers anywhere, Live Captions can translate more than 40 languages into English, including speakers in real-time video calls, recordings, and streamed content.
“The new AI-based (NPU) processor significantly supports our AI-driven workflows, taking our services to the next level.” – Christian Glanz, CIO, Deutsche Vermögensberatung (DVAG)
Unlocking Productivity Superpowers
With Copilot+ PCs, organizations now have advanced AI experiences at the edge. A recent study shows that employees can save more than an entire workday, or 10 hours, each month just by using AI for routine tasks like finding content.
Privacy and Security
We know that privacy is important. With enhanced privacy controls, you can decide which information Recall can capture. Copilot+ PCs are also designed so that even the AI running on your device can’t access your private content. In addition, IT admins can use Microsoft Intune to disable Recall from saving any snapshots, and new policies are coming later to enable IT to centrally filter specific apps and websites.
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