By Jacqueline Thomas
Publication Date: 2026-09-25 17:47:00
Microsoft debuted Copilot+ about two years ago in an effort to bring AI PCs to the mainstream. Now, the company’s most recent Surface devices have abandoned Copilot+.
At the Qualcomm Summit in Hawaii, Microsoft debuted its new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, both of which were mysteriously missing the Copilot+ branding. Microsoft Surface CVP Brett Ostrum told Windows Central when asked about the missing branding that, “These are not called Copilot+ PCs. They do meet all the requirements of our previous bar for what Copilot+ devices are.” Those requirements revolve around an NPU (neural processing unit) with at least 45 TOPs of AI compute performance.
Microsoft seems unwilling to share why it’s ditching the Copilot+ branding, but the program has been divisive. When the first Copilot+ PCs rolled out, Microsoft had manufacturers change keyboard layouts to include a new Copilot key that’d bring up an AI chatbot. Windows 11 also had Copilot Recall added, which continuously takes…