Copilot rebels rejoice: Microsoft says new key won't be part of Windows device certification

The tech sphere is abuzz at the moment with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and all that it can do. Microsoft of course is no exception to that as it hasn't taken its foot off the gas when it comes to AI integration in its various products and services including Windows.

Microsoft's AI products are generally under the banner name of Copilot, and the company has been trying very hard to build up the hype in order to convince the industry and people why it is such a great thing to have.

Back in November, Microsoft published a blog post explaining how users really needed to have Copilot even though they may not have wanted it. This was only a month after Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella expressed how they felt about Copilot, and even likened it to the second coming of the Windows Start button in terms of its potential revolutionary impact.

Taking inspiration from its own idea perhaps, Microsoft, this CES, introduced the new Copilot button on keyboards that will launch Copilot, similar to the Windows key that launches the Start menu. This key, the company says, will be on new laptops and desktop keyboards starting this January; the tech giant is clearly trying to replicate the success of the Start button with this move, while also stimulating new hardware sales for manufacturers who will have to bring to market a keyboard with the new key.

In a statement to Dr. Windows, Microsoft has elaborated on the position of the key. The company said:

The placement of the Copilot key varies depending on the manufacturer, but generally it is on the right side of the space bar opposite the WIN key. In some cases the key replaces the right CTRL key, on some larger keyboards there is space for both the right CTRL key and the Copilot key, and in other cases the Copilot key is combined with the “Menu” key (the Menu key is accessed secondary with the Fn key + Copilot key).

And if you are one of the naysayers of this key, there is some good news for you too as the article further notes that the Copilot key is apparently not mandatory and hence won't be part of Windows device certification, at least not for the moment.

Hence, if you don't want the Copilot key taking up any real estate space on your keyboard, you will still have the option to choose not to, although, on laptops and notebooks, this choice will likely become very limited as they are prebuilt and you will have to balance features and performance aspects of the device as well.

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