Photo credit: arstechnica.com
Microsoft is unveiling a significant update today, with the highlight being the introduction of the Recall feature for Copilot+ PCs. Alongside this, several enhancements are being made to improve user experience.
One notable addition is a revamped version of Windows’ Search function, which is designed to understand the contextual meaning of words and phrases. This enhancement aims to create a more natural and intuitive search experience across various interfaces, including the Taskbar’s Search box, File Explorer, and the Settings app.
Additionally, a feature dubbed “Click to Do” has been introduced. This feature allows users to copy text from images, perform searches on visible content, and quickly summarize or rewrite text displayed on the screen. Activating Click to Do is simple: users need to press the Windows key followed by a click.
To utilize Copilot+, specific hardware requirements must be met beyond those needed for Windows 11. A critical requirement is the integration of a neural processing unit (NPU). This NPU must be capable of performing over 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS), facilitating enhanced processing of AI and machine learning applications directly on the device. This setup helps to ensure faster performance while protecting sensitive personal data from being transmitted to Microsoft’s servers.
Currently, the consumer processors compatible with Copilot+ include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips, Intel’s Core Ultra 200V-series (codenamed Lunar Lake), and AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series. The rollout of Copilot+ features has generally favored Arm-based Qualcomm PCs, with Intel and AMD x86 systems receiving updates afterwards. Notably, Recall and the revamped Search are now accessible on both Arm and x86 PCs, while some functionalities of Click to Do remain exclusive to Arm systems at this time.
Source
arstechnica.com