Microsoft drops Copilot+ name for new Surface PCs
Microsoft says the technical requirements remain, but the marketing term is disappearing from new product names.
Microsoft appears to be no longer using the Copilot+ PC brand name in its hardware marketing. According to the company, new Surface devices still meet the technical requirements for the associated AI features.
The new Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 13 announced by Microsoft this week are not presented as Copilot+ PCs in the product communication. According to reporting by Windows Central, Surface chief Brett Ostrum confirmed that the devices do meet the earlier technical requirements.
Copilot+ PC was introduced in 2024 as a designation for Windows computers with powerful local AI hardware. Among other things, the devices had to contain a neural processing unit, a specialised chip for AI calculations on the device. Microsoft linked this to features such as Recall and automatic image enhancement.
The product category nevertheless had a difficult start. Recall, a feature intended to make activities on a computer searchable, drew criticism from security researchers. Microsoft postponed its introduction and adjusted how it worked and its security requirements. As a result, the key distinguishing feature was not immediately made widely available.
The new Surface models illustrate the changed approach. In its announcement, Microsoft does mention local AI, the new Snapdragon X2 Plus processor and applications such as Ink Canvas, but it does not include the term Copilot+ PC in the product name. Les Numériques notes the same for the Surface devices announced on 24 September.
Technically, this does not mean that the AI features are disappearing. Microsoft still describes Copilot+ PC as a class of devices with an NPU capable of performing more than 40 trillion operations per second. The specification therefore remains useful for software and developers, even if consumers see the name less often.
For buyers, however, the distinction becomes less clear. Those who look only at the product name will no longer immediately see which features or hardware requirements apply to a device. Manufacturers will therefore need to include more information in technical specifications, while features may vary according to the processor, memory configuration and Windows version.
The development points primarily to a marketing choice, not the end of local AI on PCs. Microsoft and computer manufacturers appear to be shifting the emphasis from one recognisable label to individual features and performance. Whether that helps consumers choose more effectively will depend on the clarity of the specifications and the availability of those features in practice.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The observation that new Surface products do not include the name Copilot+ PC in the product name has been described by two independent technology publications and is consistent with Microsoft's own announcement. The text correctly presents the formal discontinuation of the brand as a probable marketing choice, not as an official company decision.
- confirmed Microsoft announced new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models on 24 September. — This is stated in Microsoft's own product announcement. source
- confirmed The new Surface devices are not presented as Copilot+ PCs in the product name. — Windows Central and Les Numériques describe this on the basis of the new product communication. source
- confirmed Copilot+ PC devices use an NPU for local AI features. — Microsoft Support describes the category and the role of the NPU. source
- confirmed Recall attracted criticism from security researchers and was postponed. — Windows Central describes the criticism and the postponement of the feature. source
Editor's note
The withdrawal of the brand name is based on reporting and observation of new product names; Microsoft has not announced that the technical category is formally being discontinued. The technical requirements and new Surface products have been confirmed by Microsoft.Sources
- The Copilot+ PC brand is dead — Windows Central
- Fin du label Copilot+ sur les nouveaux PC Windows — Les Numériques
- Neue Surface-Geräte mit Snapdragon X2 Plus-Prozessor — Microsoft
- Learn more about Copilot+ PCs and Windows 11 PCs from Surface — Microsoft Support
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „microsoft copilot+”
- de Volkskrant — „microsoft copilot+”
- NOS — „microsoft copilot+”