Microsoft claims "2026 is the moment" for AI PCs, but its essay-length beginner explanation only creates more confusion — Is it any wonder adoption is slow?

Microsoft officially introduced Copilot+ AI PCs on May 20, 2024, sparking somewhat of a revolution that most major PC brands would be keen to sign up for as soon as possible.

This new wave of AI PCs was made possible at first by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X ARM-based Systems-on-Chip (SoC) with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) designed for handling specific AI workloads locally on your device. It wouldn't take long for Intel and AMD to catch up with new processors of their own containing the same specialized NPU hardware.

Back in 2024, when the AI PC wave was just getting started, I wrote an explainer for our readers focusing on NPU, TOPS, and AI PCs in general. It quickly ballooned to about 1,500 words despite my attempts at keeping it trim.

At the time, many of us were convinced that the number of words needed to explain an AI PC would shrink. For example, Windows Central Senior Editor Ben Wilson, echoing my own thoughts, believed that a capable NPU would become the norm across all PCs, making the Copilot+ divide a thing of the past.

What were we thinking?

Two years later, and after selling countless AI PCs and jamming Copilot (not to be confused with Copilot+) into every corner of Windows, Microsoft has again attempted its own beginner explanation in the hopes of deciphering the topic.

Unfortunately, the AI PC landscape hasn't really gotten any simpler in that time, requiring a lengthy explanation just to relay the basics.

Microsoft's AI PC explanation is way too complicated for most users to care

Microsoft's explanation, titled "Best AI PC feature to look for in 2026: A beginner's guide" and found in its Windows Learning Center blog (via Windows Latest), focuses on the best AI PC features to watch for when buying a new device. It quickly transitions into a section titled "What is an AI computer and why 2026 is the moment." The complicated explanation only snowballs from there.

Microsoft says that "an AI PC is a computer built from the ground up to run artificial intelligence features directly on the device—not just in the cloud." To be more precise, Microsoft states that "a traditional PC follows your commands," while 'an AI PC anticipates your needs."

That's all well and good. I like that explanation. After reminding us that AI tools aren't here to replace us organic beings and are instead designed to make us more productive (Yay!), Microsoft's blog post then delves into some of the tools you can expect to use on your AI PC.

But hold on; some of the tools listed, including Recall and Live Captions with Translations, are only available on Copilot+ PCs with an NPU capable of 40 TOPS performance (or better).

AI PCs technically include any PC with an NPU (many of which come in at less than 40 TOPS and thus don't make the cut for Copilot+), so this is already starting to get confusing.

Thankfully, Microsoft has an entire section in the blog post explaining the difference between AI PCs and Copilot+ PCs, which are a class of AI PC designed to help "safeguard your most sensitive information." Let's ignore all of the noise that came about when it was revealed that Microsoft's AI Recall would be remembering everything you do on your PC.

In this section, Microsoft does a good job of explaining NPUs, ARM-based processors, and the minimum specs required to run Copilot+ AI tools. However, saying that Copilot+ support "is expanding to Intel Core Ultra 200V series and AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processors" isn't accurate.

These chips already offer Copilot+ support, and the companies have announced next-gen chips; Panther Lake mobile for Intel and Ryzen AI 400 for AMD. Nice one.

Microsoft seems to have a loose grasp on what an AI PC is, so why should I care?

If I was an average PC user who stumbled on this Microsoft blog post appealing to AI novices — published on February 17, 2026, mind you — I would probably leave with more questions than answers.

Imagine trying to explain how to choose the right AI PCs to your tech-illiterate family and friends. Microsoft wraps up the blog post by saying, "To find the right AI PC, look for integrated AI architecture and select a device with a dedicated NPU to ensure peak local performance." I can see the blank stares.

What I'm hitting at here is that Microsoft isn't doing itself any favors by publishing help articles that fail to explain AI PCs in a way that the average consumer can grasp.

It's not just Microsoft that's having a hard time conveying the importance of AI PCs. In 2026, Dell became the first PC manufacturer to state that consumers really don't care about AI PCs. This was a part of its backstep on AI PCs, which involved resurrecting the XPS lineup.

Intel, one of the chip makers offering NPUs strong enough to run Copilot+ AI tools, stated last year that slow AI PC adoption is due to a lack of "concrete understanding" of the platform rather than anything to do with hardware.

It's been two years since the AI PC "revolution" really kicked off, and the landscape hasn't gotten any easier to decipher. Will that change, or will the AI PC craze die off first?

I want to know what you think

Do you have a hard time conveying the importance of AI PCs to your non-techy friends? Do you think Microsoft should do a better job of explaining why the average PC user should care about AI PCs? Let me know in the comments section!

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