Microsoft and PC vendors drop the Copilot+ PC label that didn't made sense

Credit: Justin Duino / How-To Geek Published Sep 25, 2026, 3:56 PM EDT Jon is a seasoned journalist who has written definitive coverage of consumer tech at publications like Engadget, Android Authority, and BetaKit. He's an expert on making tech accessible ranging from mobile and PCs to emerging platforms like wearables. When he's not writing, he's going on adventures with ihis family and is an avid photographer. Sign in to your How-To Geek account If you've questioned why Microsoft has insisted on branding computers as Copilot+ PCs, you're not alone. Microsoft and Qualcomm have acknowledged that they and their PC partners are dropping the label from their systems. Microsoft Surface Corporate Vice President Brett Ostrum tells Windows Central in an interview that the company's newer Surface computers "are not called Copilot+ PCs" even though.they "meet all the requirements" for the badging. The firm still backs putting "AI on the edge" (that is, local computing), he adds. Qualcomm's compute Senior Vice President, Kedar Kondap, says Copilot+ PC was meant to set a "certain bar and metric" for AI capability and that vendors can offer that experience "probably without just using terminology now." The initiative launched in 2024 in a bid to promote Copilot and spur Windows PC sales. It required a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS), at least 16GB of RAM, and a minimum 256GB of storage. Many computers ship with dedicated Copilot keys. However, PC makers have gradually stopped using the branding, particularly n recent months. While HP, Lenovo, and other major vendors still identify systems as Copilot+ PCs, others are shying away. None of the first RTX Spark PCs carry that identification even though they far exceed the requirements. Why do I not see Copilot+ PCs? A bad start and the anti-AI push play roles The Microsoft and Qualcomm executives didn't directly explain why you see fewer computers labeled as Copilot+ PCs. It might be a combination of advancing technology, Copilot's rough reception, and the backlash against AI. The specifications Microsoft outlined are much more commonplace. Even an entry-level PC like Dell's new 14S laptop meets the baseline in the right configuration. There's less need to identify AI-capable machines than there was in 2024. Copilot itself has prompted criticism since the start. One of its planned launch features, Windows Recall, raised enough security concerns among experts that Microsoft delayed its release by months. Users have also criticized Microsoft for aggressively integrating Copilot with Windows, to the point where the company scaled back its implementation, AI as a whole has received pushback. Vendors like Dell have admitted that AI doesn't drive PC sales, while both governments and communities have objected to AI over the impact of data centers, the potential to eliminate jobs, and other social issues. Customers are either indifferent to or hostile to AI, making Copilot+ PC a potential liability.