Remember when Microsoft wanted everyone to know that “Copilot Plus PCs” were the ones to get, because those were the PCs that would have enough built-in AI power to get things done? Two and a half years later, Microsoft and Qualcomm seem to admit that the brand is already dead. Kedar Kondap, senior vice president of computing and gaming at Qualcomm, seemed to agree that the brand’s time has passed, telling Bowden that computers offering the same experiences will “probably” no longer use that brand. I’m not surprised Microsoft and its partners backed out. In 2024, smart minds pointed out that (almost) all PCs would soon contain the basic levels of AI hardware that the brand was supposed to reflect. The main feature of the Copilot Plus PCs, Microsoft’s Recall feature, was not well received, and Microsoft received criticism for constantly annoying Windows users with AI upsells, not to mention the dedicated Copilot keyboard key that you can now finally remap. Additionally, Microsoft’s flagship hardware is now about to feature Nvidia chips, which will supposedly usher in a new era of personal AI on Windows. On October 7, when Microsoft hosts a “conversation on how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC,” I assume it will have a shiny new brand to replace “Copilot Plus PC.”
