Microsoft Took the ‘Copilot+ PC’ Brand Out Behind the Shed

Zac Bowden, Windows Central:

In 2024, Microsoft and Qualcomm kicked off a new category of Windows hardware it called “Copilot+ PCs” that set the baseline for a new wave of AI-first computers, and launched with exclusive features that would not be made available on PCs that didn’t meet a new set of system requirements. The launch didn’t go smoothly. I’ve noticed that none of the Surface PCs launched in 2026 include the Copilot+ PC moniker in their product names, unlike the Surface PCs that launched in 2025 and before. Now, you have to go digging to find any mention of Copilot+ compatibility in specification sheets.

Microsoft’s had to dig a lot of holes in the ground behind that shed over the years. The lesson here is that good devices are just good devices. A good PC is going to be a good PC for AI too. Wasting time with special branding is a distraction from the core task of just making the devices good.

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