The Surface Laptop Ultra is almost here.
The Microsoft Windows and Surface event will take place in San Francisco later today, beginning at 10AM PT (1PM ET), and there’s a lot we expect to see. It’s certainly going to be a very AI-focused event. According to Microsoft, it will center on a “conversation on how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC.” It will be broadcast live on Microsoft’s YouTube channel, and is expected to run for about an hour. To make things convenient, we’ve also embedded it here in this article below.
The event isn’t just noteworthy because of its heavy AI focus (though the effort to drum up excitement on the subject is an interesting choice after widespread negative reactions led to the scaling back of Copilot’s presence in the OS). It’s also significant as the first laptop-centric event the company has held in two years. Considering NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang is one of the featured speakers alongside Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and head of Windows and Devices Pavan Davuluri, chances are high that we’ll see an update about the Surface Laptop Ultra, as the laptop is powered by NVIDIA’s RTX Spark superchip.
The RTX Spark is all about AI, with NVIDIA claiming it delivers 1 petaflop of AI computing power. This goes hand-in-hand with Microsoft’s shifting focus to agentic AI, which is AI that needs minimal input from you to operate. The Surface Laptop Ultra and Spark come together to make an AI powerhouse, the cost of which still remains a mystery, but will likely be revealed during today’s event. Whether the concept of an AI-capable MacBook competitor resonates enough with the average consumer to generate sales from said price point is still up in the air.
When it comes to whether Windows 12 is on the table, it doesn’t look too likely. The company has already gone on record and said a new OS wouldn’t be released in 2026. With that being the case, it’s unlikely they would take the time to delve into a new system that wouldn’t be seen for at least several months. The company also seems more focused on making improvements and tweaks to Windows 11, from visual adjustments and Start menu fixes to a better File Explorer and large-scale AI integration. It also doesn’t make much sense to release a brand-new operating system just ahead of launching the Surface Laptop Ultra, since the system and the RTX Spark are designed for Windows 11.
Regardless, it won’t be long before we see what Microsoft has to show today, and our team will be on the ground covering the news live. Stick around, as we’ll be liveblogging the event and writing up our hands-on impressions and analyses of what the company reveals.
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