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2023-09-15T15:45:33.768Z

Hello! While the live stream for the Microsoft event isn’t live for a few hours yet, we are already there. It seems the live stream will be a repeat of what Microsoft reveals to select journalists – so we can give you the latest news from the event as it happens, rather than waiting for the live stream!

2023-09-21T13:25:42.821Z

Microsoft stand in New York

(Image credit: Future)

Our US Editor in Chief, Lance UIanoff, is at the event and has just supplied us with this photo. We should find out soon what Microsoft has in store for us!

2023-09-21T13:27:51.149Z

Meanwhile, our software writer, Kristina Terech, has reported on rumors that suggest as well as new Surface devices, we may hear about how Microsoft plans to integrate AI into Windows 11 as well.

Considering how keen on artificial intelligence Microsoft has been, especially when it comes to the Bing AI chatbot, I would be surprised if there wasn’t any mention of AI today.

2023-09-21T13:31:05.538Z

Microsoft has been a bit quiet on X (previously Twitter). You’d think ahead of the event it would be drumming up hype, maybe even using a bespoke hashtag. If this was Apple, you could count on it.

Instead, all we’ve got is a tweet from yesterday reminding us about the event.

2023-09-21T13:35:49.960Z

Here’s someone who definitely is hyped:

Lance Ulanoff at Microsoft event

(Image credit: Future)

Somehow, Lance is still smiling despite working tirelessly this week to give us his iPhone 15 review and iPhone 15 Pro Max review and attend Amazon’s big launch event yesterday.

The man’s a machine!

2023-09-21T13:37:31.436Z

Crowd for Surface Event 2023

(Image credit: Future)

The room is filling up.

2023-09-21T13:45:00.132Z

There’s a demo room that’s been heavily guarded, so we should definitely get some new products we can actually hold today.

It’s almost certain we’ll get new Surface products – the question is: which ones?

2023-09-21T13:47:39.373Z

Surface Pro 9 on a desk with someone drawing art using a stylus

(Image credit: Microsoft)

So far, we expect to see the Microsoft Surface Pro 10, as well as the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, the Microsoft Surface Studio 2, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6.

This is all based on rumors, of course, but pretty convincing ones. We shouldn’t have too long to find out.

2023-09-21T13:49:33.124Z

So, to be clear, the event itself starts in about 10 minutes – however there won’t be a live stream, it seems.

Instead, a recording of the event will then be published online later.

2023-09-21T13:51:25.401Z

Crowd for Surface Event 2023

(Image credit: Future)

Most people are now seated and ready for the show to begin. We’ll keep you posted with what’s being said and shown off, so you don’t have to wait for the recording later.

2023-09-21T13:54:27.061Z

From Lance:

“There’s a buzz in this room where people seem to have forgotten about departed Microsoft Device Head Panos Panay. Maybe we will see something more than run-of-the-mill Surface updates. We know AI is on the menu, as are new Surfaces, but what about something more?”

2023-09-21T13:58:52.457Z

Will we get an iconic moment like the one below? I fear not… shame, as I kind of love dorky Microsoft.

2023-09-21T14:00:00.800Z

OK we are on! Frank Shaw, head communications at Microsoft takes to the stage, and makes a joke about how it’s been a quiet news week for Microsoft.

2023-09-21T14:00:47.994Z

Clearly reference to Panos Panay’s departure and the massive Xbox leaks we also got.

2023-09-21T14:01:12.274Z

Frank Shaw

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:03:01.072Z

This event will last about an hour, we’re told, so there’s plenty of time to cover a lot of products.

2023-09-21T14:03:45.182Z

Satya Nadella hits the stage! Let’s see what the CEO of Microsoft has in store…

2023-09-21T14:04:18.740Z

Satya Nadella

(Image credit: Future)

There’s Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to kick things off. He’s a good presenter, though it’s unlikely he’ll match Panay’s boundless enthusiasm (which I know some found cringe worthy).

2023-09-21T14:05:03.041Z

Straight away, we’re into talk of AI with Satya Nadella mentioning ChatGPT. 

“It is hard to imagine that it is just 10 months ago that ChatGPT first came out,” he says.

2023-09-21T14:05:50.249Z

Nadella is talking about Bing Chat and the progress they’ve made so far. 

“We’re striving to breed some live and innovation into it.” There’s definitely excitement about all of this, he talks about how “There’s a waitlists,” and that “It’s kind of like the 90s are back.”

2023-09-21T14:06:00.343Z

Satya Nadella

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:07:52.042Z

Satya Nadella

(Image credit: Future)

He’s talking about Copilot now. Nadella is not offering news yet, he’s talking about how we got here. It has been a fast-paced 10 months, I’ll agree, with AI evolving so quickly.

2023-09-21T14:09:00.502Z

Satya Nadella is talking about a “computing revolution”, and about a new Natural User Interface and a new Reasoning Engine. I’m not sure if this is news or he’s just waxing on about what Microsoft has done already.

2023-09-21T14:10:03.433Z

Satya Nadella

(Image credit: Future)

We’ve seen the most magical and empowering moments people have with AI when it’s informed by the context they have way beyond what’s in front of them.

2023-09-21T14:10:56.748Z

As for Copilot, the AI feature coming to Windows 11 in the future, he says that it will be “a single unified experience informed by your preferences and permissions.”

2023-09-21T14:11:46.129Z

Copilot logo

(Image credit: Future)

“Today we’re announcing CoPilot, our vision for every day AI companion for you”

2023-09-21T14:12:32.054Z

Copilot, he says, will be built into “all of our most-used products and experience.” So Bing, Windows, Office.

2023-09-21T14:13:11.571Z

“We believe Copilot will fundamentally transform our relationship with technology.” – big talk from Satya Nadella. Clearly has a lot of hopes pinned on Copilot.

2023-09-21T14:14:06.163Z

Yusuf Mehdi, head of consumer marketing at Microsoft

(Image credit: Future)

Yusuf Mehdi is now on stage.

2023-09-21T14:14:47.570Z

“Hey, what happened this week.” he jokes. “Today is also a new day. We’re starting a new era.”

2023-09-21T14:15:18.161Z

Microsoft is “Working on reimaging everything we built, software services and devices to put you at the center.”

2023-09-21T14:16:14.296Z

Copilot is available on the Windows 11 desktop – and will be launched with a single click. You can get it today!

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:16:34.447Z

“Not just an app or chat window, woven throughout entire experience. You can type or use your voice.”

2023-09-21T14:17:23.782Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

“Coming as part of a new Windows 11 release on September 26.” This will be Windows 11 23H2.

2023-09-21T14:18:21.346Z

We’re now getting a rundown of all the new Windows 11 features that are coming on September 26. Including the new and improved Microsoft Paint, new Outlook app and more.

2023-09-21T14:18:58.313Z

Here’s some shots from the presentation showing off the new features:

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:19:25.740Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:19:40.929Z

“Photos, Paint, reimagined,” we’re told.

2023-09-21T14:20:27.304Z

Carmen Zlateff (VP of product management) is now on stage. And we’re definitely focusing on AI for this portion of the show.

2023-09-21T14:21:23.737Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

They’re showing us how this all works. Taking a long email. If you copy the text, Copilot offers advice on what to do next. Basically doing research and summarization.

2023-09-21T14:22:29.342Z

Carmen Zlateff is talking about “Ink Anywhere” coming to Windows. “Write a complex math equation into text field and get answers. You can use the pen to snip a photo of a math problem.” – so a super-powered annotation tool!

2023-09-21T14:22:42.801Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:23:16.610Z

Copilot will have context from your phone. I assume this is after you give it permission to connect.

“Copilot sounds like Clippy if it was suddenly an actual genius” – Lance Ulanoff, 2023

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

AI integration into Paint, Snipping Tool, Photos app, Outlook and more. Microsoft loves AI!!

 “Our journey with AI in Windows has only just begun,” promises Zlateff.

2023-09-21T14:25:34.537Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

Divya Kumar, general manager of search and AI is on stage now.

2023-09-21T14:26:16.146Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

One billion Bing Chats to date, apparently. Not too bad considering it hasn’t been around long. “Now Bing and Copilot can help with shopping.”

2023-09-21T14:26:59.828Z

Bing in Edge being shown off, with an example of how it can use Copilot to find you coupons, summarize reviews and help you find the lowest price.

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

You can use a photo as a starting point for shopping.

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

Upgrading Image Creator to the Dall-E 3 model soon as well. Will make the Image Creator “even more powerful.”

2023-09-21T14:28:17.082Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:29:06.523Z

According to Microsoft, the new AI features “Can make it easier to ID images that have been created by AI.”

2023-09-21T14:29:41.294Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

Above is an image created by Image Creator in Bing using AI. Impressive!

2023-09-21T14:30:29.170Z

Onto search. Personalized Answers coming. Your chat history can inform results. basically more context!

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

You do have the option to turn it off, at least.

2023-09-21T14:31:25.886Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

Bing Chat Enterprise getting a new suite of features in the Edge mobile app.

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:32:20.850Z

We’re now hearing about Microsoft 365, its subscription service that comes with Microsoft Office. Colette Stallbaumer, general manager of Microsoft 365, is now on stage.

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

Microsoft 365 Copilot generally available for enterprise customers on November 1.

2023-09-21T14:33:56.050Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

Microsoft 365 Chat, as the feature is known, is “taking it to a whole new level”. 

2023-09-21T14:34:25.918Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

As a user of Microsoft Office, these tools look pretty cool.

Ask it “What’s hot in your inbox today?” and it goes through all emails, meetings (even the ones you didn’t attend) and files, and gets you up to speed in moments.

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:36:53.285Z

“This is pretty sophisticated,” we’re told.

I think this is either amazing or a way of never actually going to work again. Just let Copilot do everything. We’ll have to ask employees, “hey, were you using Copilot?”

2023-09-21T14:37:50.308Z

“It scours the web, and within seconds, it finds everything you’re looking for.”

Sources will be provided as footnotes, which is handy for if you want to double check what Copilot tells you (which you definitely should).

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:38:22.563Z

Copilot “Understands constraints and thinks through options to solve your problem.”

Copilot wrote this blog post:

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:39:19.171Z

Impressive, but as a writer this is also a bit worrying. Microsoft is talking about how Copilot created the blog post “doing a lot of work for you.”

“Don’t have to worry about punctuation, spelling… just give Copilot a brain dump.”

2023-09-21T14:41:16.229Z

Outlook

(Image credit: Future)

Now we are looking at Outlook and it’s new “Sound like me” feature.

Copilot will “personalize any email to match your unique style and tone of voice.”

Outlook

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:42:16.336Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:42:56.684Z

Now introducing Copilot Lab, which will “help people build new work habits for a new AI-powered era of productivity.”

2023-09-21T14:44:01.636Z

Copilot can appear in your documents, and you can select text and ask Copilot to rewrite or add images and more.

They are going so deep on this stuff. Microsoft really wants everyone to know they’re committed to this stuff. It’s powerful, interesting, but does not necessarily make a compelling presentation. Where are the Surface devices?!

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:45:15.912Z

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

Microsoft Designer is now being shown with AI-powered (of course) images, which you can add to PowerPoint presentations or Word documents. 

2023-09-21T14:45:49.822Z

Microsoft 365 Copilot now in preview with a select group of businesses and customers

copilot

(Image credit: Future)

copilot

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:46:30.543Z

Brett Ostrum from the Surface team is now up! Here we go! 

microsoft event stage

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:47:24.567Z

It’s the Surface Laptop Go 3! 15 hours battery life, “ultra light and portable.” Starts at $799.

microsoft event stage

(Image credit: Future)

surface laptop go 3

(Image credit: Future)

surface laptop go 3

(Image credit: Future)

surface laptop go 3

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:48:40.057Z

surface laptop go 3

(Image credit: Future)

Four color options and “88% faster than original.”

2023-09-21T14:49:26.383Z

surface laptop go 3

(Image credit: Future)

That’s a great price ($799), but puts it very close to the MacBook Air M1, which remains an incredible laptop.

2023-09-21T14:50:17.283Z

surface laptop go 3

(Image credit: Future)

Now getting a demo of how Windows 11 can use iCloud Photos and make a video in Clipchamp, Microsoft’s video editor.

2023-09-21T14:50:39.709Z

Surface Laptop Studio 2 coming.

2023-09-21T14:52:12.602Z

Comes with microSD card reader (nice!), two USB-C ports, USB-A, and 13th gen Intel processor. Oh! and an Nvidia GPU. All very handy for digital creatives.

surface laptop studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

surface laptop studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

surface laptop studio 2

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:53:33.695Z

surface laptop studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

GPU is either RTX 4050 or 4060 – nice! “The most powerful Surface we have ever built.”

surface laptop studio 2

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:53:54.910Z

surface laptop studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

Twice as fast as the previous model.

surface laptop studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

Comes with NPU (Neural Processing Unit), which is essential for AI, as Microsoft would probably argue. This is built by Intel – some people were expecting Microsoft to announce its own chip, in a similar fashion to Apple.

surface laptop studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

Most inclusive touchpad as well. A person who was born without fingers is on stage, talking about how this helps him.

He uses adaptive touch to make it easier for him to use the mouse, and cried when he first used it. It’s a moving part of the show, and Microsoft has also been excellent with accessibility options – so glad to see that continue.

surface laptop studio 2

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T14:58:22.161Z

We are now getting an Adobe Firefly Generative AI demo. 

microsoft event stage

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T15:00:00.372Z

Oooh they have now got a MacBook Pro with M2 Max on stage with the Surface Laptop Studio 2 – which is faster? Microsoft says its laptop is (of course) – suggests twice as fast. Another big claim.

microsoft event stage

(Image credit: Future)

“What can we do while we wait for the Mac?” they ask. Burn.

2023-09-21T15:01:12.508Z

microsoft event stage

(Image credit: Future)

microsoft event stage

(Image credit: Future)

microsoft event stage

(Image credit: Future)

On stage, the MacBook Pro took one minute 12 seconds to generate an image using Blender – for the Surface Laptop Studio 2, it took just 37 seconds.

Interesting!

Surface Laptop Studio 2 goes on sale for $1,999.

2023-09-21T15:04:06.740Z

Yusuf Mehdi is back on stage. “We believe Copilot is going to fundamentally change how each of us interacts with technology.”

He thanks us for being with him for this event, and that’s a wrap!

Lance is now making his way to the demo room to get his hands on these devices.

2023-09-21T15:05:20.737Z

So, what did we learn? Microsoft is all in on AI. That was the main focus of the show, with the two new devices feeling a bit like an after thought.

However this makes sense in a way, as Microsoft remains primarily a software company.

2023-09-21T15:07:02.289Z

We then got the Surface Laptop Go 3, an affordable thin and light laptop, as well as the more expensive Surface Laptop Studio 2, which is aimed at creative professionals.

Microsoft made some big claims for this one, especially when compared to the MacBook Pro with M2 Max. We’ll be very interested in seeing how those claims stack up.

2023-09-21T15:09:07.167Z

While we got some good stuff there, we didn’t see the Surface Go 4, nor the Surface Pro 10, which were both rumored to be shown off.

No tablets at all – has Microsoft fallen out of love with them?

2023-09-21T15:11:20.873Z

With that, we’ll now wait until Lance gets back to us with his hands-on impressions of the new Surface laptops.

Here’s some photos of the Laptop Go 3 from Lance:

Surface Laptop Go 3

(Image credit: Future)

Surface Laptop Go 3

(Image credit: Future)

Surface Laptop Go 3

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T15:28:16.630Z

And here’s some Surface Laptop Studio 2 shots:

Surface Laptop Studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

Surface Laptop Studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

Surface Laptop Studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

Surface Laptop Studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

Here’s what the insides of the Surface Laptop Studio 2 look like – pretty cool!

Surface Laptop Studio 2

(Image credit: Future)

Surface Laptop Studio 2

(Image credit: Future)
2023-09-21T15:37:34.720Z

You can read more about the announcement regarding Copilot coming to Windows 11 on September 26.

We won’t have too long to test it out – exciting!

2023-09-21T17:04:46.251Z

Microsoft threw some pretty major shade at Apple when discussing the capabilities of the Surface Laptop Studio 2, claiming that the new laptop is twice as fast as the M2 MacBook Pro in creative workloads.

That’s a bold claim, but it’s nothing new to see Microsoft and Apple taking cheap shots at each other like a pair of bickering children. There’s definitely a non-zero chance that Microsoft rigged the game for their live comparison of the devices, using a high-spec Surface Laptop Studio 2 against the base model of the M2 MacBook Pro.

2023-09-21T17:09:07.847Z

There was also a lot of talk about the neural processing unit (NPU) found in the upcoming Surface Laptop Studio 2. As AI worms its way into more and more of the software we use on a daily basis, having dedicated chips for handling machine learning tasks makes a lot of sense to us.

If you’d like to know more, we’ve compiled a quick explainer about NPUs and why they’ll soon become a ubiquitous feature of modern laptops.

2023-09-21T17:21:05.074Z

Strangely, it looks like Microsoft actually revealed a third Surface product today – just not at the event itself. The Surface Go 4 ‘for Business’ was quietly announced via a press release during the event – it looks like Microsoft might be testing the waters with an enterprise-only release before letting the public get their hands on the Surface Go 4.

2023-09-21T17:52:23.694Z

If you’ve just arrived here and don’t feel like wading through the full blow-by-blow of Microsoft’s big showcase, we’ve got a handy-dandy roundup of everything that was announced at the Microsoft Surface event for you to get the cliff notes super-quick!

2023-09-21T17:56:14.563Z

So you might be wondering by now: how will the Surface Laptop Go 3 stack up against the MacBook Air, its biggest competitor?

We’ve already got a detailed breakdown of the Surface Laptop Go 3 vs the MacBook Air, based on everything we know so far (thanks to Microsoft for the spec sheets). Spoiler alert: it’s not looking too great for the new Surface Laptop Go, although some key features do give it a notable leg up over Apple’s most popular laptop.

2023-09-21T19:27:31.193Z

Lance has been spending time at the event trying out Windows Copilot, which was the main star of the show, and he feels it “might be the biggest change Microsoft has ever made to its long-running OS.”

That’s certainly very exciting.

Our fantastic computing team has also got some articles comparing Microsoft’s new devices to their predecessors and rivals to see how they stack up:

We’ll be publishing more of these over the next few days.

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