The age of the AI PC is right here, and with it plenty of pointless fluff. Fluff, that’s, such because the outrageous ditching of a superbly respectable right-Ctrl (Menu) key in favour of a shiny new Copilot key. Apart from signalling to others close by that you’ve a snazzy new laptop, by default this key does nothing apart from open the Copilot AI assistant. Well, that was the case.
It seems like we would quickly get some precise use out of the Copilot key on our keyboards, as a result of Microsoft is presently toying with the thought of permitting us to remap it to open different functions. It initially appeared like this was rolling out in testing proper now for the Windows 11 Preview Build 22631.4387, however Microsoft has clarified that “this characteristic will roll out to Insiders in Release Preview on Windows 11, model 23H2 at a later date and isn’t rolling out but with this replace”.
It’s not fairly as simple as this, nevertheless, as a result of the unique (now-struckthrough) textual content acknowledged that you would be able to make the important thing open a unique app, however solely these “in a signed MSIX bundle” which “ensures that the app meets safety and privateness requirements to maintain you protected”.
MSIX apps use a brand new packaging normal that is imagined to be safer than the earlier EXE and MSI ones, however such apps are presently few and much between. Still, just a few is healthier than zero, proper? Especially when the choice is to have a complete bodily key devoted to opening an AI assistant.
The creation and addition of the Copilot key induced considerably of a stir when it was unveiled again in January, largely as a result of it was the primary time in nearly 30 years {that a} button had been added. (Of course, we should always actually say “changed” moderately than “added”.)
Early within the yr it was additionally deemed a requirement for a PC to be thought-about an AI PC. You know, aside from all of the highly effective NPU stuff that truly issues. Since then, there’s been much less discuss of the important thing requirement, however the rattling issues are nonetheless there on all these new AI PCs, so we might higher get used to them.
If they’re right here to remain, then I suppose making them remappable could be sufficient of a spoonful of sugar to make the poiso- *cough* drugs go down. Not essentially in probably the most pleasant manner, nevertheless it’s higher than nothing. Fingers crossed this does really get pushed by means of testing quickly and extra apps turn out to be appropriate.
