Microsoft and Qualcomm appear to be backing away from the “Copilot Plus PC” brand, with Microsoft confirming new Surface models that meet the requirements will not be marketed under that name.
Copilot Plus PC branding fades
Reporter Zac Bowden wrote that the new 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop technically meet the system requirements for a Copilot Plus PC, but “These are not called Copilot Plus PCs,” Microsoft Surface CVP Brett Ostrom told the publication. Qualcomm’s SVP of compute and gaming, Kedar Kondap, told Bowden that computers offering the same experiences will “probably” not use that branding anymore.
The Copilot Plus PC label had been intended to signal PCs with built-in AI hardware capable of enhanced local AI experiences. Observers noted in 2024 that almost every PC would soon include the basic levels of AI hardware the brand aimed to denote. The article also says Microsoft’s Recall feature—the marquee capability tied to Copilot Plus PCs—was not well received; the company faced criticism for frequent AI upsells, and the dedicated Copilot keyboard key can now be remapped.
Microsoft’s flagship hardware is set to adopt Nvidia chips, a move that is described as likely to usher in a new era of personal AI in Windows. Microsoft will host a “conversation on how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC” on October 7. The article’s author guessed Microsoft might introduce a new brand to replace “Copilot Plus PC.”
