Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) made several revelations Monday, including what CEO Satya Nadella referred to as the “fastest, most AI-ready PC ever built.”
During a press-only event, Nadella said the new computers are called Copilot Plus PCs. The chips for these are being developed by Qualcomm (QCOM), AMD (AMD) and Intel (INTC).
Microsoft expects to sell 50M AI PCs across different manufactures this year. Manufacturing partners include Acer, Asus, Dell (DELL), HP (HPQ), Lenovo and Samsung. OpenAI will also be included on these devices.
Microsoft also said its Windows 11 has been redesigned to outperform Apple’s (AAPL) MacBook Air as they are 58% faster than the most advanced MacBook Air with the M3 processor and have a more efficient battery.
“These new PCs are unbelievably thin, light, and beautiful,” said Microsoft corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi, according to a live blog by The Verge. “They are the most powerful Windows PCs ever built.”
The AI PCs are expected to ship on June 18 with price tags starting at $990, and pre-orders are beginning today.
Microsoft also introduced its new Surface models, called the Copilot Plus Surface Laptop and Copilot Plus Surface Pro. These are available in 13.8-inch and 15-inch displays and are 86% faster than the Surface Laptop 5.
Taking another shot at Magnificent Seven rival Apple, Microsoft said they are also faster than a Macbook Air.
Microsoft also revealed a new AI product, dubbed Recall, during Monday’s event, which is a precursor to the company’s Build 2024 event, starting Tuesday.
Recall, which will only work on the new Copilot Plus PCs powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite chips, internally tracks virtually every action done on that PC. This includes websites visited, communications during live meetings, presentations built, chats, etc.
Microsoft ensures all this will remain secure on the device and is not being used to train models.
Microsoft climbed 1% following Monday’s announcements. Qualcomm and HP added nearly 2%. AMD and Intel both ticked up about 1%.