Microsoft Surface Event (March 2024): Preview and What to Expect

Surface Laptop 6

The Surface Laptop 6 is rumored to be getting all of the above upgrades plus some additional ones.

Namely, it’s going to be more of an obvious redesign compared to the Pro 10, featuring a thinner display bezel, redesigned corners that are rounder, a haptic touchpad, and a pair of USB-C ports (plus a USB-A one).

Again, AI capabilities will be at the fore on the software side of things, while the eventual offering of the Surface Laptop 6 with a Snapdragon X Elite chip is an even bigger deal than with the new Surface Pro.

This is because it’ll be the first time Microsoft has shipped one of its Surface laptops with an ARM-based SoC (System-on-Chip). These chips tend to be less power hungry and therefore better suited to mobile workers, which in the age of fully remote jobs and digital nomads is more folks than ever before.

In other words, battery life on the Snapdragon X Elite version of the Surface Laptop 6 is expected to be as close to all-day as we’ve seen in the range, which is genuinely great (if unconfirmed) news.

New “AI Explorer” Feature Coming to Windows 11

On the software side of things, we’ve heard practically non-stop chatter about a new “AI Explorer” feature that will launch as part of a major Windows 11 update following this spring’s Microsoft event.

There’s going to be a lot of hyperbole around this, but in a nutshell what reports suggest are that AI Explorer will be the feature that Microsoft says distinguishes between “AI PCs” and non-AI PCs.

Mostly, this is going to be a marketing-led distinction, as you can ultimately turn any PC into an AI PC with an internet connection – duh – but it will mean that certain features come baked in to Windows in a potentially useful new way.

Specifically, we’re hearing that AI Explorer will build on current Copilot features to create a searchable, contextually aware history/timeline on your computer that brings together information from things you’ve searched for, documents you’ve opened, conversations you’ve had, and even work processes you might want to complete.

In a day-to-day example, this might mean you can ask your “AI PC” for the names of all the tradespeople you’ve talked about while preparing to renovate your home, or (to use the example Windows Central gave) to remind you what restaurants a colleague called Jenna said they liked for lunch.

Better still, it could automatically offer you the option to jump to work-related tasks like image editing from the same window you’re viewing an image in. The possibilities are vast, but the only catch is that the crystal ball suggests AI Explorer won’t be available until the Windows 11 24H2 update, which is Microsoft’s fall Windows update this year.

In other words, all that shiny new Surface hardware being touted as being an AI PC…won’t actually be an AI PC until football’s back again.