Microsoft and its partners were set to launch their Copilot + PC wave of devices next with a showcase Windows exclusive AI-powered tool called Recall, but the feature is being put on ice as of now.
According to an update on Microsoft’s Windows Blog, the company has decided it will help partners launch their Copilot + PCs next week without Recall, which is going from a general release to an Insider experience.
Recall will now shift from a preview experience broadly available for Copilot+ PCs on June 18, 2024, to a preview available first in the Windows Insider Program (WIP) in the coming weeks.
Pavan Davuluri – Corporate Vice President, Windows + Devices
Furthermore, Microsoft is adding the “Preview” tag to Recall and instead ‘plans’ to make Recall “available for all Copilot + PC coming soon.”
Last week, Microsoft updated its Windows Blog to address growing concerns from cybersecurity experts over the way the new snapshot taking AI search function in Windows 11 would be implemented and executed at launch by offering a few more security assurances that included encryption, Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS), Digital Rights Management support, user filters, and an Opt-In versus Opt-Out initial experience.
However, today Microsoft’s amended update has pivoted to turning its signature AI tool meant to highlight the power and efficiency of AI supported PCs into a Windows Insider preview with an indefinite release date.
While the move is a concession to the security concerns of security experts, it’s also admission that Microsoft hasn’t fully throughout the rollout of this year’s Windows 11 update rollout or its partnerships with PC OEMs.
Even as a Windows Insider preview tool, users will still need to purchase Copilot + PCs to test a feature with no concrete release date.
Recall was the flagship tool that would help to showcase Microsoft’s investments in AI and neural processing units (NPUs), but it seems like both the company and its partners will have to go with the less flashier benefits of Copilot + PCs such as better battery life, optimized performance, AI powered live caption translation, improved Windows Studio Effects, pre-generative image creation in Microsoft Photos, and the new Cocreator tool in Paint.
