Microsoft insists Copilot+ PCs are 'empowering the future' – reality disagrees (www.theregister.com)

Microsoft is loudly promoting Copilot+ PCs and an expanded Windows on Arm ecosystem as a “transformative” shift — touting Arm-native ports, on-device NPUs for features like Recall and improved video-call eye contact, and dramatic battery and performance gains. The company claims Arm-native apps now represent “90% of total user minutes,” while partners like HP report AI PCs now make up ~25% of sales. Microsoft’s marketing includes benchmarks showing Copilot+ machines outperforming Macs and promises up to 15 hours of web browsing or 22 hours of local video playback. For AI/ML practitioners and enterprise buyers the push is notable because it shifts compute to on-device neural processing and forces software vendors to target Arm and NPU runtimes. But adoption barriers remain: analysts and customers report tepid enterprise uptake, driven by a ~57% higher average purchase price, a shortage of true “killer” on-device AI apps, and lingering emulation/performance pitfalls dating back to Windows on Snapdragon (2018). Real-world testing finds modest battery gains (roughly 10 hours under productivity loads) and occasional stutters, underscoring that most touted features are ports or incremental UX enhancements rather than uniquely NPU-dependent workloads. The result: a hardware-driven revenue play that’s technically promising but still waiting for compelling, indispensable AI applications to justify widespread migration.