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Journalism of Courage
As I was watching Michael Dell introduce the new AI PCs with Copilot Plus in Las Vegas, my attention was also on Satya Nadella’s keynote presentation being delivered at the same time as the Dell Technologies World 2024. Both events tried to establish one thing: Microsoft’s new Windows on ARM push is a new dawn for PCs and the ecosystem. When I got my hands on the new Dell XPS 13, I could feel the AI overhaul at the center of these new “Copilot Plus PCs,” which might redefine how we use the legacy Windows operating system on computers. Although I spent only a few minutes with the XPS 13, it left me with several thoughts that I wanted to share about AI PCs and Copilot Plus.
Dell’s new XPS 13, its first Copilot Plus PC, doesn’t look much different from its predecessors. It’s still ridiculously thin, super compact, and has a more minimalistic look like what we first saw with the XPS 13 Plus. It features larger keycaps for easier typing, a “touch function row” reminiscent of Apple’s experiment with the Touch Bar, and an invisible trackpad that uses haptic feedback. It feels sturdy, has a very professional appearance, and is made for frequent travellers like myself.
After moving past appearances, I found there was more going on under the hood. This isn’t an Intel-powered notebook like earlier XPS 13 models. Instead, the new XPS 13 is powered by an ARM chip from Qualcomm, which supplies mobile processors used in smartphones. And that’s where things get interesting. Apple also uses ARM architecture in its processors; however, Windows versions of ARM chipsets have been lagging in performance. Microsoft and its PC vendors hope this changes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus processors. These chips are touted to be the biggest CPU shakeup since Apple Silicon. Dell offers the XPS 13 with the Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus as a configurable option. Both chips have different processing powers, with the X Elite sitting on top, but they have something in common: a neural processing unit (NPU) with 45 tera operations per second (TOPS). TOPS, or Tera Operations per Second, is a term used to measure Neural Processing Unit (NPU) performance in AI PCs and is designed to specifically handle artificial intelligence tasks. This means it is possible to run AI systems directly on chips inside the computers, making them faster, more personal, and more private, and bringing AI prowess and Gen AI capabilities to PCs people own and use every day.
Microsoft has repeatedly said its AI push goes beyond a silicon change. The narrative behind AI PCs is that AI will be deeply embedded in Windows 11—the world’s most dominant operating system—and what users can do with it on new computers branded as “Copilot Plus” AI PCs. For example, a Dell product manager showed me a brand new feature called “Recall” in Windows 11 to demonstrate the capabilities of Copilot Plus PCs. Recall is like a photographic memory, a “time machine” on Windows. Users can ask Copilot, Microsoft’s chatbot, to use Recall to look up a file by typing a question using natural language, such as, “Can you find me a presentation with the word performance?” The computer will then immediately retrieve the file with those details, thanks to a variety of small language models running in combination on the PC itself. Once users find what they want, they can save the image or text directly from the Recall feature or open the underlying file, all without having to know where it’s stored. Microsoft said the information used for this Recall function is stored directly on the laptop for privacy and would not be sent back to the company’s servers or be used in training future AI systems. In a short demo, I found the Recall feature actually useful, as it can instantly retrieve anything you have done on your computer.
The Recall feature is just one among many ways Microsoft wants to spice up AI computers. Another feature allows for real-time translation into more than 40 languages locally on the device. Then there is a new tool called Team Copilot, which serves as an AI agent and acts as a virtual employee to automate tasks. Of course, there is Copilot, which now works across Microsoft’s products and apps, including Bing and Microsoft 365, serving as an everyday AI assistant.
It’s still early days for Windows on ARM. Devices like the XPS 13 hold a lot of promise, but the question really is: Can AI make PCs cool again? For most users, PCs have had more than enough horsepower for a long time—the new Copilot Plus computers are clearly meant to power a new type of experience tailored to work with artificial intelligence. The new XPS 13 was super fast in a short demo. High-end computers are pretty much always super fast. But the key to these Copilot Plus PCs lies in the use of AI systems to automate tasks, achieve longer battery life (Dell is claiming 35 hours of local video playback with the XPS 13), and improve the performance of everyday apps such as Chrome and Photoshop on Windows on ARM.
The writer is attending Dell Technologies World event in Las Vegas at the invitation of Dell India.
