Microsoft announced the launching of its new Surface computers, along with the news of Windows 11's upcoming release. They presented the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and the Surface Laptop Go 3. Additionally, Microsoft revealed that businesses will soon be able to acquire Microsoft 365 Copilot, the much-awaited AI tool, when it becomes available.
At an event in New York on Thursday, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and the Surface Laptop Go 3, along with enterprise availability for Microsoft 365 Copilot, its AI assistant. Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, expressed enthusiasm for the software innovation and the journey ahead. Competitors such as Atlassian, Google and Salesforce have also released products with generative AI this year. The new Surface models start from $799 and ship with Windows 11, which includes Copilot technology. Preorders are open now, with the devices set to be released on October 3rd. The company also announced Panos Panay, the executive who introduced Surface products for a decade, was leaving Microsoft following a series of leadership changes on Monday.Microsoft has announced that the newest version of Windows 11 will drop on September 26, and it will feature Copilot, a new tool present in its Bing search engine and Edge web browser. Aaron Woodman, VP of Windows marketing at Microsoft, believes this will be particularly meaningful, as it provides AI capabilities to users who may not have had contact with it before. Several other new features will be included, such as the ability to boot directly to the cloud, improved snipping, smarter backup, a Paint app builds unique images using generative AI, more customization options for the taskbar, and an enhanced Notepad with memory. Early versions of these features have been tested by select users in recent months.
Microsoft is also incorporating Generative AI within its advertising tool, without disclosing when it'll be available. Copilot for the Microsoft Advertising Platform enables marketers to interact with it through a chat interface and will eventually automate ad-creation. Alphabet and Meta have both ventured into this field as well. According to Kya Sainsbury-Carter, Corporate Vice President of Advertising at Microsoft, Copilot on the Microsoft Advertising Platform can be used to customize content, design and strategies with respect to branding and advertising: "Creating stunning and effective ads in minutes".
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a familiar design to the model that launched in 2021. It can be used as both a laptop with a keyboard and as a tablet when laid flat. The 13th-generation Intel Core chip is offered, and customers can choose between the available Nvidia graphics processing units: the GeForce RTX 4050 or 4060, or the RTX 2000 Ada Generation. Models with Nvidia graphics come with 120-watt power supplies, otherwise integrated graphics with Intel Iris Xe are available. Additionally, one traditional USB-A port and MicroSD card reader are featured. Customers can pick up to 64GB of RAM, double the capacity of the first iteration. Its 14.4-inch screen is described as the "most powerful Surface ever built" by Brett Ostrum, Microsoft's VP of Surface devices. Various improvements have been added, such as an updated haptic touchpad, claimed to be the "most inclusive touchpad on any laptop today." Battery life ranges from 16 hours for models with 2TB of storage and Nvidia graphics, to 18 hours for less storage and Nvidia cards, while Intel graphics models have a capacity of 19 hours. The new version starts at $1,999, which is $400 more than the original model.
The Surface Laptop Go 3 is the most up-to-date version of Microsoft's introductory laptop. With a 12.4-inch touchscreen display, a 12th-generation Intel processor, and an ultra-lightweight design at 2.49 pounds, it is the lightest and most compact laptop offered by Microsoft, in comparison to their Surface Laptop Studio 2 which weighs in at over 4 pounds. The battery life of the Surface Laptop Go 3 extends to 15 hours, an additional 1.5 hours compared to its predecessor. In terms of performance, this laptop has a powerful 88% speed increase from the original version, with users now being able to opt for up to 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid-state storage, double the memory limit and SSD storage of the Surface Laptop Go 2. The laptop is available now at a starting price of $799, a $200 increase from the Surface Laptop Go 2's opening price.
Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Go 4, the latest iteration of its miniature Surface Pro tablet, intended for use by companies and frontline workers. This model can be docked to a monitor, paired with a keyboard or used as a tablet with its 10.5" touchscreen display. It is powered by an Intel N200 processor and provides 12.5 hours of battery life, more than the Surface Go 3.
Microsoft remembers its Surface Hub, the big touchscreen technology for the workplace. An 85-inch edition and a more modest 50-inch display offer companies an effortless way to take part in Teams video calls. In his blog post, Microsoft product marketing director Frank Buchholz described how software can change the backdrop of attendees and tweak their sizes during Teams calls. The smaller one can alter orientation from portrait to landscape and two persons can draw or write using either the Surface Hub Pen or Surface Slim Pen. Moreover, Microsoft claims that performance of the processor has increased by 60%, while graphics processing unit has grown by 160%.
Starting November 1, large organizations will be able to begin paying for Microsoft 365 Copilot. The rollout has the potential to bring in more revenue for Microsoft 365, a key element of the company that had 382 million commercial users in its third fiscal quarter. Any businesses that wish to access the software should contact their account representatives. Customers who had the opportunity to preview the tool will get first priority, and it will cost $30 per person per month in addition to Microsoft 365's fees. Microsoft has also opened up the early access program to some smaller companies. Yusuf Mehdi, the head of Surface and Windows at Microsoft, told Steve Kovach of CNBC that "in the testing that we've already done with preview customers, you're in a meeting, you can have a meeting summary, and the AI can summarize the entire meeting and give it to you in bite-sized chunks. If you missed the meeting, you can tell me what happened out of it, you can say to get action items, what did my boss say, when was I mentioned, and you can get all that. That time is unbelievably precious, and for $30 a month, it's an incredible value. People really love that capability."
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