Microsoft makes Copilot much less helpful on new Copilot Plus PCs

Microsoft launched its vary of Copilot Plus PCs earlier this week, and so they all come outfitted with the brand new devoted Copilot key on the keyboard. It’s the primary huge change to Home windows keyboards in 30 years, however all the important thing does now could be launch a Progressive Net App (PWA) model of Copilot.

The online app doesn’t even combine into Home windows anymore just like the earlier Copilot expertise did since final 12 months, so you possibly can’t use Copilot to manage Home windows 11 settings or have it docked as a sidebar anymore. It’s actually only a PWA. Microsoft has even eliminated the keyboard shortcut to Copilot on these new Copilot Plus PCs, so WINKEY + C does nothing.

I hoped Microsoft would evolve the Copilot key into one thing that could possibly be used very similar to the Home windows key, together with different keys to launch shortcuts to apps and even AI-powered options in Home windows. That might make it way more helpful than simply launching a PWA.

Microsoft hasn’t defined why it’s modified Copilot from a extra built-in expertise in Home windows to only a internet app that may now not management Home windows settings. “We’re additionally evolving the Copilot expertise on Home windows as an app that can be pinned to the taskbar,” says the Home windows Insider workforce in a current weblog publish. “This permits customers to get the advantages of a standard app expertise, together with the flexibility to resize, transfer, and snap the window – suggestions we’ve heard from customers all through the preview of Copilot in Home windows.”

Microsoft says it is going to be in a position to “extra agilely develop and optimize” the Copilot expertise because of these modifications, so possibly we’ll see some future modifications that make this regression in performance make sense. Till then, the brand new Copilot key will exchange the menu key (utility key) on keyboards on new Copilot Plus PCs, and Microsoft has additionally pinned the Copilot app to the taskbar so that you don’t even want to make use of the devoted key anyway.