Microsoft's AI PCs poised to challenge Apple's MacBook Air
What's the story
Microsoft is preparing to reveal its cutting-edge AI PCs at a Seattle event next month. The tech giant believes these upcoming Arm-powered Windows laptops will outperform Apple's M3-powered MacBook Air, when it comes to CPU performance and AI-accelerated tasks. Microsoft is relying on Qualcomm's soon-to-be-launched Snapdragon X Elite processors, to provide the necessary performance enhancement for a competitive Windows on Arm market push.
Processor power
Microsoft's confidence in Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite
Microsoft's trust in the new Qualcomm chips is so profound that it plans to demonstrate how these processors will surpass an M3 MacBook Air in AI acceleration, CPU tasks, and even app emulation. According to internal documents witnessed by The Verge, Microsoft claims that the Windows AI PCs will provide "faster app emulation than Rosetta 2." This is Apple's application compatibility layer used on its Silicon Macs.
Emulation evolution
Overcoming app emulation challenges with AI PCs
App emulation has become a significant hurdle for Windows on Arm over the last 10 years. However, Microsoft launched x64 app emulation for Windows 11 two years ago, allowing apps to run on Windows on Arm devices even without a native ARM64 version. Recently, Google also debuted its own ARM64 version of Chrome, readying it for these upcoming devices.
Hardware shift
Next-gen AI copilot PCs to feature Qualcomm chips
Microsoft plans to equip the consumer versions of its new Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processors, replacing Intel's Core Ultra chips. These devices, internally known as "next-gen AI Copilot PCs," are designed to differentiate from existing PCs running AMD's latest chips and Intel's Core Ultra processors. They will be the first to access new AI-powered Windows features, including an AI Explorer app.
Feature upgrade
AI-powered features to enhance user experience
Microsoft aims to enhance video streaming on Arm-powered Windows laptops with a new AI-powered feature. These PCs will offer access to Windows Studio Effects for background blur and more, along with image creation ability with AI models for free. Additionally, options will be offered for Copilot to access the context of your PC, improving prompts and answers.
Benchmark success
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite outperforms competitors
Qualcomm is confident about its new processors, having recently allowed the media to test the Snapdragon X Elite chips. The company has shown benchmarks that surpass Apple's M2 processor and Intel's Core Ultra 7 chips in many areas. Qualcomm claims that most Windows games should "just work" on its forthcoming Arm laptops, suggesting potential gaming laptops powered by Arm processors.
AI reveal
Microsoft's AI vision to be unveiled at Build conference
Microsoft's significant AI PC reveal is scheduled for May 20, a day before the company's annual Build developers conference. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will discuss the company's "AI vision across hardware and software," setting the stage for its newest Windows on Arm push, and investment in AI features for Windows 11.