The truth about the "AI PC" hype

Plus some lock screen magic  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Windows Intelligence](#) [Windows Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [ESET logo](​ Hey! This week, I've got a lot to share about the reality of "AI PCs" — and advice for improving your lock screen experience. But first, I've got something very cool to share with you: Check out [our limited-edition The Intelligence Decal Pack](. Featuring our awesome Lenny mascot, the four decals on this sheet are made of weatherproof vinyl. They're ideal for phone cases, laptops, or anywhere else you might want a little more Lenny in your life. [The decal sheet, featuring The Intelligence's mascot.] You can [get your own awesome decal set this week only for just eight bucks]( — no extra shipping, handling, or fees. It's all included. Plus, if you order them in the next few days, you can [get them for just $6](! (Heads up: This discount lasts through Monday only.) [GET YOUR DECAL PACK NOW ➜]( Thanks for your support! Now let's get to Windows. [Chris Hoffman, AUthor] Chris ​ Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 2 minutes ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 2 minutes ⌚ Top Thurrott Thoughts: 30 seconds ⌚ Just for Fun: 30 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] ​ 1. "AI PCs" are here, but don't believe the hype ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft says we're now in "the era of the AI PC." At CES, manufacturers were eager to show off their AI PCs — but I'll explain what that really means. 🔎 KNOW MORE: A new PC hardware component called a "neural processing unit" (NPU) is all the rage. Future computers with NPUs will, in theory, be able to run AI processes in a more power-efficient way — this type of task requires a power-hungry graphics processing unit (GPU) on most existing PCs. - That sounds nice, but despite all the hype, Windows does almost nothing with an NPU yet. Supposedly, interesting features that require an NPU will debut near the end of 2024 — and Microsoft hasn't even announced what they are yet. - Some new laptops will have a "Copilot" key on the keyboard, but that key will launch the standard Copilot sidebar all Windows PCs will have. Whether your computer has an NPU or not, Copilot runs entirely on Microsoft's servers — Copilot never uses an NPU for anything. - If you really want to run text-to-image models, large language models, and other AI processes locally, you're better off with a computer with a powerful GPU. That NPU is more power efficient, but a GPU can do it faster. 📌 READ MORE: See through the hype and learn more about [the reality of those AI PCs in my latest Computerworld column](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Microsoft is adding more new features to Windows 10 ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: The Windows team at Microsoft is under new management, and they want to deliver more shiny new features to your Windows 10 PC. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Microsoft is currently in the process of rolling out Windows 11's Copilot AI taskbar icon and sidebar for Windows 10 PCs. But that's just the first of many features. - Windows 11 just got a new, more detailed weather experience on the lock screen — if your PC doesn't have it yet, it'll pop up in the next few weeks. (And I'll show you how to turn it on down in the Things to Try section.) - Windows 10 is about to get the same weather experience — like Copilot, this feature update pushes Microsoft's web services, as clicking it will open MSN Weather. Microsoft clearly wants to use Windows 10 to put its web properties in front of more people. - Microsoft is reportedly about to reopen the Windows Insider beta channel for Windows 10 to test even more features before they end up on Windows 10 PCs, according to Windows Central. 📌 READ MORE: Check out [the news about Windows 10](=), or take a peek at [the new weather experience on Windows 11](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. You can now subscribe to Microsoft's Copilot Pro ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft just launched Copilot Pro, a paid subscription that offers priority access to Copilot's most powerful models, Copilot inside Microsoft Office (finally!), and faster AI image generation in Microsoft Designer. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Microsoft is charging $20 per person per month for a Copilot Pro subscription. That's the same price as a ChatGPT Plus subscription. - This is the first time Microsoft has offered Copilot in Office apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, an OneNote to home users — previously, this was only available for businesses. However, you will still need a Microsoft 365 subscription — $100 per year for a family of up to six people. - Copilot Pro is pretty expensive — that's $20 per person per month, which is $240 per person per year. If you wanted everyone in your six-person Microsoft 365 Family subscription to have access to Copilot AI features in Office apps, that would cost you another $1440 per year on top of the $100 for Microsoft 365. Yikes. - That price is a hard sell when the standard Copilot tool is still free. You can have the free Copilot tool rewrite text for you and paste it into Word, for example. And you can use the "Compose" tool in Microsoft Edge's Copilot sidebar to draft emails and other messages and paste them anywhere you like. 📌 READ MORE: See the details on [Microsoft's official Copilot Pro website](). SPONSORED MESSAGE Is your data in harm’s way? 🫣 [Man typing furiously at computer.](​ Oof. Last year did *not* bode well for data security, as millions of people fell victim to cyber attacks worldwide. Darkbeam misconfigured an interface, exposing 3.8 billion records; a threat actor stole 20 million pieces of data from 23andMe; T-Mobile’s data breach impacted 37 million customers. The list goes on. ​[That's why you need ESET.](​ ESET protects you from scammers, fraudsters, and thieves with all-in-one protection for Android, Windows, and all your home devices with: - 24/7 monitoring against malware, trojan horses, and spyware - Deadbolt banking and browsing protection for peace of mind - Top-rated identity theft protection (and remediation of damages) ➜ ​[Download ESET for FREE and protect your family’s sensitive data (before it’s too late).](​ [​JOIN 1 BILLION USERS AND PROTECT YOURSELF ➜]( ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Add weather (or other info) to your lock screen Windows 11 and Windows 10 are getting a new, more detailed weather widget for the lock screen. As usual, that experience is slowly rolling out over the next few weeks — I don't have it yet on my Windows 11 PC. ➜ If you'd like more weather information on the lock screen — or if you're looking for other details, like your emails or calendar events — you can place those straight on your lock screen. ⌚ You can choose a widget for your lock screen in less than 10 seconds. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. 📌 Follow my quick new guide to [choose what you want to see on the Windows lock screen](). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Get rid of lock screen ads Windows 10 and Windows 11 both have ads that pop up on their lock screen — right now, I have a big box encouraging me to play Minecraft in the middle of my lock screen. ➜ You can turn these lock screen ads off, but Microsoft hides the option — and there's a tradeoff. ⌚ You can turn these messages off in about 10 seconds. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. To get rid of lock screen ads, just head to the Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen screen. If you're using Windows Spotlight to get shiny new backgrounds automatically, you'll have to click the "Personalize your lock screen" box and choose either "Picture" or "Slideshow" instead. On Windows 11, you can then uncheck the "Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen" box. (On Windows 10, the option is called "Get fun facts, tips, and more from Windows and Cortana on your lock screen.") [Disabling ads in Windows 11's Lock Screen settings.] You will have to choose your own lock screen background if you do those. You won't automatically get shiny new photos from Microsoft anymore — that's the trade-off. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Lock your PC when you walk away from it I've already mentioned you can lock your PC by pressing Windows+L. That's convenient — but did you know Windows can automatically lock your PC when you walk away from it? ➜ This feature is called Dynamic Lock. It relies on your smartphone — all you have to do is pair an Android phone or iPhone with your PC via Bluetooth. Then, when you walk away, Windows will notice your phone is moving away from your PC, and Windows will lock your PC for you ⌚ This will take you about 20 seconds to set up, if you have to pair your phone. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. You'll find this option in the Windows Settings app. On either Windows 11 and Windows 10, head to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Dynamic Lock — or just search for "Dynamic Lock" in the settings app. Just check the "Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you're away" option here. If you haven't already paired your phone with your PC via Bluetooth, Windows will prompt you to do so. [Enabling Dynamic Lock in Windows 11's Sign-in options.] ​ [] [Top Thurrott Thoughts] Some standout links and expert analysis from our friends at Thurrott, who have been covering Windows since 1994: - ​[New Outlook Decried as a “Surveillance Tool for Targeted Advertising”]() - Software isn't what it used to be. - ​[Epic is Right to Sue Apple for End-Run Around Court Ruling]( - Lots of developments in Epic v. Apple this week. - ​[How I Configure Brave]( - A great guide to setting up the Brave browser. - ​[HP Elite Mini 800 G9 First Impressions](=) - Everyone loves mini PCs. - ​[Put Up or Shut Up (Premium)](=) - Smart analysis of what's going on with Copilot Pro. ​ [And Just for Funsies...] This week saw the tenth anniversary of one of the strangest things I've ever seen on Windows. It's been long since forgotten, and I haven't seen anyone else mention it in so many years. But I wanted to share it with you. Back in the Windows 8 days, Google ported an [entire ChromeOS-style desktop to Windows](=). You'd boot up Windows 8 and see the Metro Start screen with its tiles, and you could either click the "Chrome" tile and get a complete ChromeOS-style desktop experience or click the "Desktop" tile and get a traditional Windows-style desktop experience. [ChromeOS-style desktop on Windows 8.] This screenshot from PCWorld shows an official ChromeOS-style desktop on Windows 8. It was completely bizarre. (On a technical level, this happened because of Microsoft's weird support for "Metro-style browsers," which were a special type of application with unique privileges that could run in a full-screen environment. In other words, Microsoft encouraged this to happen with the way Windows 8 was designed!) Like a lot of the strange choices made in the Windows 8 days, this has been abandoned and forgotten, and Google no longer makes anything like this — not unless you switch from Windows to ChromeOS. The age of Windows 8 was such a crazy time in Windows history. Until next time... That's it for this week! Enjoy your weekend. And remember, you can [snag some sweet decals featuring our awesome Lenny mascot]( — this week only! 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up](=) [Thumbs Down]( Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let me know Want less email? [Update your reading preferences](=) to opt out of any individual publications or unsubscribe entirely. New here and not yet subscribed? Take two seconds to [sign up for our newsletters](): Windows Intelligence, Android Intelligence, or Cool Tools (or all three!). Hungry for even more? [Learn about becoming an Intelligence Insider](=) to gain access to our one-of-a-kind community, power-packed advanced resources, on-demand help desk, and tons of free apps and services. 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