Microsoft Joins AI Computer Race With Its Newest Surface Series

Tech giants are progressively advancing into the realm of AI computers, and following Apple and Huawei, Microsoft has also officially released its first-generation AI PC.

The main models of Microsoft's recent launch of AI PC are the Surface Pro 10 commercial version and the Surface Laptop 6 commercial version, which Microsoft describes as the first batch of Surface AI PCs designed specifically for enterprise customers.

Therefore, although they will officially start shipping from April 9th, this batch of products will first be directed toward enterprise users.

The biggest selling point of these two computers is that they will become the first Surface PCs equipped with a dedicated Copilot button. This button will be located to the left of the left arrow key and will allow users to open the Copilot panel on the right side of the screen at any time—in other words, to activate the AI assistant with a single click.

For a long time, the Surface series has been Microsoft's showcase for demonstrating cutting-edge Windows device technologies and the highest level of operation. In Microsoft's view, the Surface series, fully integrated with artificial intelligence, will also become a core part of a safer, more flexible artificial intelligence solution and will provide stronger support for enterprises to succeed in utilizing artificial intelligence.

Furthermore, by integrating closely with an ever-innovative AI ecosystem, Microsoft believes this will help further enhance user experiences with Microsoft products in the future, while officially ushering in the era of AI-powered Windows PCs. According to previous reports, in addition to Microsoft's own Surface series, this Copilot button will also appear on computers from manufacturers that have long-term collaborations with Microsoft, such as Lenovo, Dell, HP, and others.

It is worth noting that, to further enhance running speed and task processing capability, the Surface Pro 10 commercial version has adopted Intel's latest Core Ultra processor, complemented by a dedicated Intel AI Boost neural processing unit. Users can choose either a Core Ultra 5 135U or Core Ultra 7 165U processor, with memory up to 64GB LPDDR5x.

Microsoft has also added a 1440p resolution AI-enhanced camera to the Surface Pro 10, with a viewing angle of up to 114 degrees. Nancie Gaskill, General Manager of Microsoft's Surface business, commented that it is the first camera with such a wide field of view in the PC market today.

The Surface Laptop 6 is equipped with Intel's more powerful H series chips, which surpass the U series in functionality.

Microsoft stated that the Core Ultra H series chips will allow the Surface Laptop 6 commercial version to run at twice the speed of the previous Laptop 5. Therefore, for users with higher task demands, the Laptop 6 may be a better choice than the Surface Pro 10 commercial version.

Both computers are also equipped with a special neural processing engine (NPU). These NPUs can offer faster response times and better security. Many artificial intelligence features, such as automatic transcription of audio and simulating eye contact during video calls, will run on these NPUs, allowing the chip to have more space to process other tasks.

Two weeks ago, as a direct competitor to Microsoft, Apple also launched the new MacBook Air notebook equipped with an upgraded neural network processing unit in the M3 chip. Apple declared in its statement that this MacBook Air, starting at $1,099, will continue to be the best consumer AI notebook in the world.

However, at least in terms of price, the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are on the higher end, as Microsoft has set their starting price at $1,199.

Additionally, although Microsoft is currently not selling these two AI PCs directly to individual consumers, the company's spokesperson indicated that this situation will only be temporary.

In a recent interview, a Microsoft spokesperson stated: We absolutely remain committed to consumer devices. Building great devices that people love to use aligns closely with our company mission to empower individuals as well as organizations. We are excited to be bringing devices to market that deliver great AI experiences to our customers. This commercial announcement is only the first part of this effort.

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