Microsoft Retires 'Copilot Plus PC' Brand Two and a Half Years After Launch
Microsoft has stopped calling its new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop "Copilot Plus PCs," and Qualcomm's compute chief says machines with the same features likely won't carry the name either, according to a Windows Central report.
The report, described by The Verge, says the new 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop meet the technical system requirements Microsoft set for a Copilot Plus PC, but the company no longer uses the designation. "These are not called Copilot Plus PCs," Brett Ostrom, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Surface, told Windows Central's Zac Bowden.
Kedar Kondap, Qualcomm's senior vice president of compute and gaming, signaled the same conclusion. He told Bowden that computers offering the same experiences will "probably" not use the branding anymore.
The retreat comes about two and a half years after Microsoft and its partners, Qualcomm among them, urged buyers to choose Copilot Plus PCs specifically because those machines carried the AI muscle needed to get work done. As early as 2024, industry observers noted that nearly every PC would soon ship with the baseline level of AI hardware the badge was meant to signal, undercutting its value as a differentiator.
The brand's flagship feature, Microsoft's Recall, was not well received. The company also drew criticism for repeatedly prompting Windows users to adopt AI features, and for the dedicated Copilot key added to new keyboards, which users can now remap.
Microsoft's own flagship hardware is now moving to Nvidia chips, which The Verge says are expected to open a new chapter for personal AI in Windows. On October 7, Microsoft plans to host what it calls a conversation on how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC. The Verge speculates that the event will bring a new brand to replace "Copilot Plus PC." Neither Microsoft nor Qualcomm has announced a replacement name.