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Microsoft Announces ‘Copilot+ Pcs’ to Take on Apple Silicon

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When you think of a computer that’s both powerful and efficient, you might think first of a MacBook. However, think about a computer that’s made to work with AI tools, and Apple’s machine probably falls to the bottom of the list. (Provided you can even name a computer made for AI in the first place.)

There’s an opportunity, then, for Apple’s competition to not just solidify its laptops as more powerful and efficient than the MacBook for most tasks, but to make them stand out for having the tech necessary to power the latest AI features. That’s the target Microsoft is trying to hit with its just announced line of Copilot+ PCs.

Copilot+ PCs, powered by Qualcomm

“Copilot+ PCs” is Microsoft’s name for a new wave of AI-powered machines coming from companies like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung, not to mention Microsoft’s own Surface lineup. (More on that below.) Many of these machines, including the new Surfaces, are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus, Arm-based chips that Microsoft and other OEMs hope will convince users to move away from Apple. The Plus has a 10-core CPU, while the Elite has a 12-core CPU. Depending on the model, your Snapdragon X could have a 3.8 TFLOP GPU, or a 4.6 TFLOP GPU.

The big benefit of adding the Snapdragon X to the mix, at least in Microsoft’s view, is the chip’s NPU (neural processing unit), which is responsible for AI computing processes. Whether you get the Plus or the Elite, you get a 45 TOPS NPU (TOPS standard for trillions of operations per second), which Qualcomm says can run over 13 billion parameters on-device.

It’s not just the chipset being pushed here, it’s Windows 11 itself. Microsoft says it has rebuilt the OS’ architecture around maximizing the CPU, GPU, and now, NPU. Now that the chips are Arm-based, they can run the ever growing list of Arm64-based apps. Microsoft naturally highlighted the apps in its own Microsoft 365 offering, including Teams, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel, but also apps like Chrome, Spotify, Zoom, and WhatsApp. Microsoft has also partnered with companies like Adobe (Photoshop, Lightroom and Express), and apps like DaVinci Resolve Studio and djay Pro.

They went after Apple explicitly: Microsoft says their Copilot+ PCs outperform the 15-inch MacBook Air by up to 58% in sustained multithreaded performance. They also did a live demo showing how a new Surface Laptop can process a Photoshop project faster than an M3 MacBook Air:

GPT-4o and Copilot

Microsoft also announced that Copilot will soon have access to GPT-4o, OpenAI’s latest and great LLM. As Microsoft is a major OpenAI investor, this is no surprise: The company added GPT-4 Turbo to Copilot as a free feature even before OpenAI thought it was cool to give the latest models away to users for free.

Microsoft showed off how this capability might be used. For example, using GPT-4o, you can supposedly enlist the help of AI as you navigate a video game. Here’s a demo from the event, where Copilot (powered by GPT-4o) talks the demonstrator through a round of Minecraft:

Better on-device search through Recall

Recall is a new Windows 11 feature for Copilot+ PCs that aims to improve the search experience on your computer. When you search for something with Recall, rather than see a list of files, folders, and apps, you see screenshots of related materials in a timeline. It’s as if Microsoft has recorded all of the activity you do on your PC, and is using AI to pull up still images from apps that match the keywords in your query.

Recall works for finding emails, photos, websites, and anything else you may have done or created on your computer. Microsoft says all snapshots are stored locally on your PC, so none of your activities are ever shared to the cloud or outside your machine.

Oh, and Microsoft is selling new Surface laptops too

While many OEMs have new Copilot+ PC laptops in the offing, Microsoft announced two new Surface laptops as part of its rollout of the tech: Surface Laptop, and Surface Pro. Both machines run the Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips, and so come with all the Copilot+ PC perks, but they differ in final design and execution.

The Surface Laptop has a new design with thinner bezels and a haptic touchpad, and comes in either a 13.8-inch display, or a 15-inch display, both with 120Hz refresh rates. Microsoft says this machine gets up to 20 hours of local video playback (not streaming, mind you) on the 13.8-inch, and 22 hours on the 15.8-inch, and supports Wi-Fi 7. As its name implies, this is a laptop, so while it has a touchscreen, it’s not detachable. It’s available for pre-order now, and starts at $999.99 (13.8-inch) and $1,299.99 (15-inch). If you want the Snapdragon X Elite on the 13.8-inch, that’ll increase the price to $1,399.99, making it $100 more than the 15-inch that comes with the Elite already.

If you’re looking for a machine with a detachable tablet, that’s the Surface Pro. The latest 2-in-1 Surface comes in an optional 13-inch OLED configuration, with an ultrawide camera, two USB-4 ports, Wi-Fi 7, and support for outputting to up to three external 4K displays. Notably, you can actually replace many of the parts of the Surface Pro, including the motherboard, battery, and cameras. (What year is this?) Finally, the new Surface Flex Keyboard actually works while detached, so you don’t need to physically connect it to the display in order to type.


Pre-order the new Surface devices here:


Shots fired in advance of WWDC

This is a fascinating time for the personal computing market. While Microsoft has always brought together different OEMs under the same PC umbrella, they’re now talking about these different machines as if they’re all one family, the same way Apple always has. Microsoft didn’t say the new Surfaces outperformed the MacBook; rather, they said the Copilot+ PCs as a whole do. They’re standardizing the hardware and the software for this moment, to market their machines as the best on the market for power, efficiency, and AI.

Of course, as with every new tech announcement, we won’t really know how these machines hold up until reviewers start testing them in unbiased environments. Plus, next month, we should see a slew of new AI announcements from Apple at WWDC, so the situation is going to change fast. Buckle up, people.





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For sale: A piece of California’s country music history

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The famed Buck Owens Crystal Palace, where music legends including Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Garth Brooks and a young Taylor Swift have played, is up for sale, with the foundation that runs the Bakersfield venue planning to list it for $7 million on Monday.

The nightclub, museum and steakhouse was owned by its namesake Buck Owens, the country music trailblazer who bucked the slick commercial melodies of Nashville for a distinctly West Coast twang. Owens opened the Crystal Palace in 1996, watching it become a premier venue for the biggest names in country music, including himself. Buck and the Buckaroos played there every Friday and Saturday night until his death in 2006.

Jim Shaw, a member of the Buckaroos and a director of the Buck Owens Private Foundation, said that after 28 years of running the famed venue, the Owens family plans to step back and find new owners amid a challenging business climate. The foundation said in a statement that “since Buck’s passing in 2006, we’ve tried to maintain the excellence that he expected, even as it became more and more difficult during these challenging times of increasing food and labor costs.”

The venue is not closing and scheduled events will continue as planned, Shaw said.

“It’s business as usual for now,” Shaw said. “Ideally, someone who wants to keep it exactly as it is will come forward.”

Owens’ youngest son, Johnny Owens, wrote on Facebook that the family’s hope “is that a buyer steps forward with a vision for the future and a reverence” for his father and the Bakersfield Sound.

The Crystal Palace, located on Buck Owens Boulevard, is a major tourism staple for Bakersfield. The 18,000-square-foot venue is next to the city’s downtown entrance.

“It’s the No. 1 tourist attraction in Bakersfield,” Shaw said. “There are people stepping forward and we are waiting to see what happens. I am getting a lot of phone calls. I’m anxious to see what happens.”



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2nd local radio host says they were given questions ahead of Biden interview

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A second local radio host on Saturday told ABC News that he was provided a list of questions in advance of his interview with President Joe Biden this week.

“Yes, I was given some questions for Biden,” Earl Ingram of CivicMedia told ABC News. Ingram, a prominent host of a Wisconsin radio station, interviewed Biden this week in the wake of his debate performance.

Ingram said he was given five questions and ended up asking four of them.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask him all the things I wanted to ask,” he said.

Ingram is the second interviewer who now says they were provided questions by Biden aides to ask the president this week. Earlier today, another local radio host who interviewed Biden this week told CNN she was given questions to ask Biden before the interview.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners,” the Biden campaign told ABC News on Saturday.

Ingram told ABC he didn’t see anything necessarily wrong with the practice. “To think that I was gonna get an opportunity to ask any question to the President of the United States, I think, is a bit more than anybody should expect,” he said.

He continued that he was grateful for the opportunity to interview Biden at all.

“Certainly the fact that they gave me this opportunity … meant a lot to me,” Ingram said.

MORE: Wealthy Democratic donors sound alarm over Biden staying in race

On CNN earlier today, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, the host of WURD’s “The Source,” said Biden officials provided her with a list of eight questions ahead of their interview with Biden.

“The questions were sent to me for approval; I approved of them,” she said.

“I got several questions — eight of them,” she continued. “And the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.”

Responding to Lawful-Sanders, Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said in a statement that it’s not “uncommon” for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. She noted that Lawful-Sanders was “free” to ask any questions she saw fit. She also noted that it was the campaign who sent over the questions and not the White House as other reports claim.

Lawful-Sanders did note in her interview with CNN that she ultimately “approved” the questions provided.

“It’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. These questions were relevant to news of the day – the president was asked about this debate performance as well as what he’d delivered for black Americans,” the statement said.

“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners. In addition to these interviews, the President also participated in a press gaggle yesterday as well as an interview with ABC. Americans have had several opportunities to see him unscripted since the debate.”

A source familiar with the Biden booking operation told ABC News that moving forward they will “refrain” from offering suggested questions to interviewers.

“While interview hosts have always been free to ask whatever questions they please, moving forward we will refrain from offering suggested questions.”

2nd local radio host says they were given questions ahead of Biden interview originally appeared on abcnews.go.com



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President George W. Bush turns 78 years old

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George W. Bush, born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, was the 43rd President of the United States.

Bush was born to parents Barbara Bush and former President George H. W. Bush. He has five siblings; Jeb Bush, Marvin Bush, Neil Bush, Dorothy Bush Koch and Pauline Robinson Bush. Pauline was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away at age three.

He was formerly the Republican Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

WHY FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH IS WINNING … THE POST-PRESIDENCY

Bush was first elected to the White House in November 2000, and officially began his first term as president in January 2001, after he defeated Democrat Al Gore during the presidential election. Bush was reelected to his second term as the incumbent in November 2004, when he prevailed over Democrat John Kerry, and led the United States until January 2009 before handing over his torch to former President Barack Obama.

Bush married Laura Bush on November 5, 1977, the day after her 31st birthday, in her hometown of Midland, Texas. The couple were engaged in September 1977, and married less than two months later in a Methodist church. Bush and Laura met at a barbecue, and he took her to play mini-golf on their first date. 

The Bush’s share twin daughters, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, born on November 25, 1981. Today, the couple also share four grandchildren; Mila, Poppy, Hal and Cora.

GEORGE BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY ISSUE STATEMENT ON AFGHANISTAN WITH MESSAGE TO US TROOPS, VETERANS

During his presidency, Bush cared for his English springer spaniel, Spot Fetcher, who accompanied him to meetings in the Oval Office and on adventures throughout the White House. The dog was born to his parent’s dog, Millie.

On September 11, 2001, less than one year into Bush’s presidency, the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists when airplanes hit both buildings, causing a collapse and thousands of lives lost. At the time, Bush was reading to elementary-aged children at a school in Sarasota, Florida. He was calmly and quietly advised of the attacks and quickly returned to Washington, where he was briefed alongside Vice President Dick Cheney.

Bush was regarded highly for his poise while learning of the attacks and for his demonstration of patriotism and leadership in the uncertain days and weeks following the hijackings of multiple planes on the day that shook America to her core.

SADDAM CAPTURED ‘LIKE A RAT’ IN RAID

On December 30, 2003, during Bush’s first term as POTUS, Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader and executor of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., was captured by the American military

In the early morning of December 30, 2006, during Bush’s presidency, Hussein was hanged and executed for his crimes against humanity. Americans across the nation celebrated the death of Hussein and applauded Bush for promising the country he would take him out and following through.

While Bush was regarded for his dealings with the terrorist attacks, the signing of No Child Left Behind Act and the Patriot Act and the creation of the United States Department of Homeland Security, many Americans were unhappy with the sanctions of interrogation techniques, the war in Iraq and taxes while he was president.

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