cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/8149733
Andrew Cunningham (arstechnica.com) - Jan 4, 2024 8:01 am UTC Writes:
Microsoft pushed throughout 2023 to add generative AI capabilities to its software, even extending its new Copilot AI assistant to Windows 10 late last year. Now, those efforts to transform PCs at a software level is extending to the hardware: Microsoft is adding a dedicated Copilot key to PC keyboards, adjusting the standard Windows keyboard layout for the first time since the Windows key first appeared on its Natural Keyboard in 1994.
The Copilot key will, predictably, open up the Copilot generative AI assistant within Windows 10 and Windows 11. On an up-to-date Windows PC with Copilot enabled, you can currently do the same thing by pressing Windows + C. For PCs without Copilot enabled, including those that aren’t signed into Microsoft accounts, the Copilot key will open Windows Search instead (though this is sort of redundant, since pressing the Windows key and then typing directly into the Start menu also activates the Search function).
A quick Microsoft demo video shows the Copilot key in between the cluster of arrow keys and the right Alt button, a place where many keyboards usually put a menu button, a right Ctrl key, another Windows key, or something similar. The exact positioning, and the key being replaced, may vary depending on the size and layout of the keyboard.
We asked Microsoft if a Copilot key would be required on OEM PCs going forward; the company told us that the key isn’t mandatory now, but that it expects Copilot keys to be required on Windows 11 keyboards “over time.” Microsoft often imposes some additional hardware requirements on major PC makers that sell Windows on their devices, beyond what is strictly necessary to run Windows itself.
Read Microsoft is adding a new key to PC keyboards for the first time since 1994
Been saying it everywhere here. They’re cortana-ing copilot. They have an interesting thing. But They gave it to their marketing team and they’re just going to run the thing into the fucking ground. It’s going to be on the home page of Xbox, it’s going to take up 40% of the task bar, it’s going to be there taking up 20% of the screen every time you open office.
Ffs they have good ideas then they ruin them with just constant bombardment. They did it with cortana. Cool idea, ruined by their own forcing it in our faces. Hell I’ll even go so far to saying it’s clippy again.
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Linux users: what do you plan to remap it to?
I’ll make it spin my desktop cube, force every window to move slightly so they wobble and play Louis Theroux’s lyric Jiggle Jiggle.
Why? Just because Windows uses can’t.
Nice. That gave me compiz flashbacks
Terminal
Given where it’s located, I don’t plan to use it. I already have 3 useless buttons to the right of the space bar!
I don’t think i’ll ever have a keyboard that has this, since I use custom keyboards with my own retro pbt keycaps. Looking at the illustration it would replace right super, so probably no one would need to change existing binds for that.
Krunner for sure
This nonsense reminds me of how many phones in the olden days had a dedicated Internet/WAP button on them from the phone companies that primarily existed so that people would be charged for accidentally pressing it.
With this new iteration of the same idea (they could have easily chosen a spot where it would never get hit accidentally, but didn’t), I suspect that Microsoft banks on people accidentally pressing the button in the hopes that at least some will be converted to using their dubious “AI” assistant more than once. Like the author of the article, I have my doubts this will happen. On laptop keyboards in particular, it’ll be pressed when people are actually trying to hit the left arrow key and cause more annoyance and confusion than anything else. I can already imagine IT departments disabling these on all new devices just to save them the extra headache.
I am never turning back to Windows
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More like cope pilot.
Keep the bloatware off my keyboard thanks. Seems like a design failure to begin with.
Prettu much will just be a shortcut key like the Linkedin button on some laptops
The what?
It was actually an inaccuracy. Some keyboards mostly from Microsof come with the Office key.
Pressing Office plus other keys would open various Microsoft products, a few example:
Office+W opens Microsoft Word
Office+D opens OneDrive
Office+L opens LinkedinBut you don’t actually need the key, as all this features are actually binded to Shift+Ctrl+Alt+Super (In Windows, Super is the Windows key on the keyboard. On MacOS, Super is the Command key). In fact, all Office button shortcuts can be used by using the same combination (Like Shift+Ctrl+Alt+Super+L for Linkedin).
So, here is why I think the Copilot key will actually be just a shortcut key that is binded to whatever shortcut you can use on a normal keyboard to bring up Copilot.
Those AI stuff are very expensive to run, and Microsoft plan to integrate them even more on future version of Windows, replacing local search with AI assistant? How Microsoft plan to recoup those expense? More ads on Windows?
Having a decent search will result in more usage, more data and premium features down the road.
Don’t you worry about Microsoft making money
It’s not as expensive as you might think, there’s been a lot of interesting developments lately in making LLMs more resource-efficient.
Still, windows has over 1 billion users. Even if averaging only $1 / copilot user / month will cost a lot of money each month, an expense that must be somehow recouped.
