Microsoft has stopped using the Copilot+ label on new laptops, even on machines that satisfy the hardware requirements the company previously set for that branding. The change was confirmed by Ostrum, who said the devices are simply not called Copilot+ PCs anymore. According to Ostrum, the machines still meet all the requirements of Microsoft's earlier bar for Copilot+ devices, and the company continues to emphasize AI that runs on the device itself and hybrid computing. The shift affects buyers shopping for Windows laptops in the United States, who will no longer see the badge used to identify AI-capable hardware.
The branding has also disappeared from other products that would have qualified under the old criteria. The upcoming Nvidia RTX Spark N1X and Microsoft's own Project Zenith are both missing Copilot+ badges. That suggests the label is being retired across the lineup rather than only on some models. Microsoft has not publicly explained the decision.
Separately, Microsoft said it is reducing how prominently Copilot appears in Windows 11, with promises to improve the operating system's performance, reliability and updates. The company also committed to optimizing the software so it runs smoothly on just 8GB of RAM. That effort comes amid an AI-driven memory shortage that has raised the cost of higher memory configurations. Microsoft has removed its 32GB RAM recommendation from its website and has released new Surface for Business laptops with as little as 8GB of RAM.
Microsoft is not abandoning Copilot entirely. The company recently redesigned Copilot and added features including Home, Code and Autopilot. It has also tested Copilot+ AI features designed to run on discrete GPUs, a move that could extend those capabilities to PCs whose processors lack a built-in NPU. One AI consultant cataloged Microsoft's Copilot products and found more than 80 distinct offerings, with possibly more unaccounted for.
Microsoft did not cite a specific reason for dropping the hardware branding. As mainstream and high-end processors increasingly ship with NPUs capable of 40 TOPS or more, the distinction the badge represented appears less meaningful. The memory shortage has also made the previous 16GB minimum requirement costly, which the company's own recent hardware choices reflect.
It remains unclear whether the quiet end of the Copilot+ brand means every Windows 11 PC will receive all the AI features that were once restricted to devices carrying the name. Even if the label disappears from hardware, Copilot branding is expected to remain within Windows and other Microsoft products.
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