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How will this impact users?
What does this mean in practice? Very little, really: a few extra clicks to allow you to access Copilot is hardly a hardship. The underlying issue is with the practice it invokes, trading functionality for sales. If you can just as easily bring up Copilot on an older Windows 11 PC, then there’s less incentive to invest in a newer Copilot+ unit. Likewise, the lack of a sidebar makes it slightly less convenient to access. It’s a small change, but if one of your primary interests for your PC is the Copilot AI, then having a less robust version is going to take its toll. It’s certainly not going to improve Windows 11 uptake in other devices too, which is still severely undersubscribed compared to Windows 10.
The update is still in beta rather than being formally released, so members of the Windows Insider Program are currently testing the features before they go live. It’s a very corporate decision, however. If you were thinking of investing in a Copilot-running Windows PC, be aware that it’s going to be that fraction less convenient from here on out.
