When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Is Windows' Copilot button doomed to the fate of the Cortana key? From Cortana to Windows Copilot, history says new shortcut keys rarely stick. When Microsoft's Copilot key first poofed into existence, I tilted my head and thought . Does anyone remember the Cortana key?

Remember when Microsoft promised that the Copilot key would be the next big thing? Since then Microsoft has begun backing away from its Copilot app, and this week the company is promising that Copilot won't even launch when you tap the key -- just a subset of the app will. Instead, Microsoft is promising that the Copilot key -- or, in future, the WIN C shortcut -- will launch Copilot Chat, a small chat box that won't take up as much screen space as before. But even this new experience isn't free from Microsoft's fragmentation problems, which puts separate features on separate tracks. Microsoft has two Copilot experiences: the "consumer" version of Copilot, and the more professional Copilot experience as Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Newer Windows PCs have included a special Copilot key for about a year now. The Copilot key is meant to be a dedicated way to bring up Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant, although some people never use it and have turned to repurposing the Copilot key for other actions. But then there are others who want to use Copilot and wish they had a dedicated button for calling it up, yet don't want to shell out money on a new laptop just for said key. If that's you, then here's some good news: Microsoft is adding a new keyboard shortcut for Copilot. According to the announcement post, the Copilot app for Windows (available via the Microsoft Store) will soon be able to initiate a voice conversation with Copilot by holding Alt Space for 2 seconds. Once you're done talking, you can press Esc to end the conversation.

To date, PC vendors have shipped AI PCs. On Monday, Microsoft announced the next step in the AI PC's evolution, the Copilot PC, and announced AI-powered Windows 11 features like Recall. "The pursuit has always been about how to build computers that understand us, instead of having us having to understand computers, and I feel like we really are close to that breakthrough," said Satya Nadella, Microsoft's chief executive, in a briefing with reporters on Microsoft's campus. A Copilot PC combines local, on-device AI with cloud AI, according to Microsoft, to provide a range of services. Some of the new laptops shipping with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus processors will be classified as Copilot PCs, taking advantage of the NPU found within both chips.

Remember, I think that it's time to switch to Windows 11, but that's in part because Microsoft will likely tie AI into its latest feature release of the Windows 11 operating system. But really, it could be anything: an AI-powered character that is dropped into a hot new game, perhaps powered by Nvidia's ACE, might prompt an AI-powered gaming shift. Maybe it will be updates to Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet that will all use AI.

Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 10 for Business and the Surface Laptop 6 for Business on Thursday, as expected. But what differentiates these new Surfaces from earlier models is that these new laptops actually feel like they were designed with businesses in mind -- and the Surface Pro 10 is perfect if you're coming down with spring fever. Microsoft is accepting orders for both devices today, with shipments beginning April 9. Prices begin at 1,199 for both. Consumer versions of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are likely due in May. Microsoft has scheduled a second event just before its Build conference, with additional Surface hardware and AI improvements in Copilot and Windows on the table.

Lenovo announced several new business laptops and hybrids at this year's MWC conference, including refreshes in the ThinkPad T-series and the ThinkBook line. The company's calling them "AI PCs" because they all feature a dedicated Microsoft Copilot button that offers immediate access to the digital assistant. The just-announced models include the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, ThinkPad T16 Gen 3, ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2 and ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4. These computers are powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra processors, which has come to be expected with new Lenovo computers. The ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2 boasts a durable 3:2 display with Corning Gorilla Glass and the whole thing's powered by an Intel Core Ultra U processor. The detachable backlit folio keyboard boasts a three-button TrackPad and the tablet includes a front-facing 5MP camera and an 8MP rear-facing camera.

Acer has debuted its latest laptops for its Aspire and Swift line of products at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. While the new devices each have their own features to offer, most of them have a couple of things in common: They're powered by Intel's new Core Ultra processors, the company's first chips with neural processing units that can accelerate AI tasks, and they come with dedicated keys that can summon Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant. One of the models now powered by Intel Core Ultra 7 processors is the Acer Aspire Vero, which is partly made from recycled materials, such as ocean-bound plastic for its 16-inch 2,560 x 1,600 screen. It can last for up to 10.5 hours on a single charge, has Wi-Fi 7 compatibility and has two USB-C ports. The laptop ships with Windows 11 that comes integrated with Copilot, which can be quickly accessed with the device's dedicated key.

Microsoft and its PC partners plan to add a "Copilot" key to your PC keyboards, making it easy and intuitive to launch Microsoft's Copilot AI -- and avoid using an AI solution from a competitor. PC makers appear to be prepping to replace one of the existing buttons in the no-man's land grouping of keys to the right of the PC spacebar into a key that will launch Copilot on command. "Over the coming days leading up to and at CES, you will start to see the Copilot key on many of the new Windows 11 PCs from our ecosystem partners, with availability beginning in late February through spring, including on upcoming Surface devices," Yusuf Mehdi, who now oversees the Windows and Surface businesses after the departure of Panos Panay, wrote in a blog post. Copilot is available in Windows, of course, and it's now officially available on iOS and Android as well. Early looks at the new PCs indicate that the new key could potentially replace the "menu" key on some Windows PCs like Microsoft Surface devices, which are rarely used.