Larry Magid: A laptop built for AI

Microsoft will officially end assistance for Windows on October and millions of users are still running that version Certain will be able to upgrade to Windows but multiple won t because Windows requires hardware that a large number of Windows machines lack That means a lot of PC users may find themselves in the area for a new computer between now and October Related Articles Magid Budget bill clause could ban state AI regulations Magid In search of a perfect robotic vacuum cleaner mop Magid How to keep your phone going all day Magid Earbuds to help you sleep Magid A projector worthy of outdoor movies And there s another reason to consider upgrading multiple new PCs now include a Neural Processing Unit NPU a special chip designed to optimize tasks powered by artificial intelligence AI For the past couple of weeks I ve been using HP s new OmniBook Ultra Flip -inch -in- laptop marketed as a Next Gen AI PC The review unit HP sent me came with terabytes of SSD storage and gigabytes of RAM more than majority people need As configured this version costs around but you can get a model with GB storage a slightly slower processor and GB of RAM for about which is plenty for majority users The laptop has an impressive -inch OLED touch screen which looks great indoors and is readable even in bright sunlight The version I have also flips all the way back At a tad under pounds it s on the lighter side as laptops go I don t use the flip feature often but it can come in handy when watching videos or if you want to use it like a tablet It can also be used with an external monitor keyboard and mouse and be folded so that it functions as a great secondary display Although I mostly use the touch pad to control the PC the touch screen can come in handy at times It also comes with an optional pen that you can use to write or draw directly on the screen which is very useful for graphic artists Keyboard responsiveness and battery life As a writer my favorite feature is the keyboard with slightly oversized keys and larger-than-usual characters which make it easier and more peaceful to type It s a noticeable upgrade from multiple laptop keyboards and because you re stuck with whatever keyboard your laptop comes with this one is a welcome improvement The laptop is very responsive loading apps almost as rapidly as you can click Although internet performance is mostly a function of the speed of your organization a faster PC can more speedily update your browser which can make a difference It s not a big deal but I like it when I don t have to wait even a second or two to load an app or switch between tasks It s not so much the amount of time but the peril of losing my train of thought as I wait for a scheme or website to load The Omnibook is rated for up to hours and minutes of continuous use on battery only according to HP and up to hours and minutes of local video playback Battery estimates like miles per gallon or EV range will reliably be different in the real world but so far I ve been able to get through a day s worth of use without having to plug it in AI processor and program Like an increasing number of PCs this machine is marketed as an AI computer And although it does have a neuro processing unit NPU optimized for AI applications along with chosen application that uses that NPU and AI to improve performance the NPU and the other AI features are not necessary to run ChatGPT Google Gemini Meta AI Perplexity or any of the other excellent web-based AI services You can run them on any internet connected device The HP does come with its own HP AI Companion app which at first seems similar to the a great number of AI web apps that run on any device but it has one very promising feature that takes advantage of the NPU You can create your own document libraries by importing PDFs Word files and other docs that you can then query using the AI Companion There are several use cases including being able to better understand or find things from your own PC and enhanced privacy by not having to upload all these files to the cloud I m using it to create a library from the thousands of articles I ve written over the years and am excited about the ability to query my own content Companies could use this and similar tools to create their own internal AI evidence sets for employee access The AI OmniBook also comes with Polly Camera Pro that uses AI and the NPU to enhance photos and videos including live Zoom calls There are also a few video editing and creation tools that use AI and the NPU to create and process video Ready for the future We re still in the early days of PC-based AI processing and only a limited number of applications at this time take full advantage of the NPU and other AI features built into these new machines But that s typical with emerging technologies Think back to the early Apple II On its own it wasn t especially useful until developers created breakthrough programs such as VisiCalc which transformed it into a must-have productivity tool for its time The same could happen with AI PCs as the program ecosystem catches up We are still very early in the era of PC-based AI processing so there are a limited number of programs that take advantage of the power built into this and other AI PCs But that s invariably the scenario with new technologies going back to the early days of the Apple II which wasn t all that useful until programmers started creating killer apps that turned it into an incredibly powerful machine for its time I don t know if or when having an NPU will become essential But if you re shopping for a new Windows PC it makes sense to consider one that includes it just to future-proof your venture quotes because the future is inevitably uncertain For now just about any modern PC or Mac will handle nowadays s tasks with ease But if you re curious about what s coming next an AI PC could be your window into the future especially as system begins to catch up with the powerful new hardware Related Articles Americans filing for jobless benefits at highest level in eight months Athletic country club leases prime spot in Santana Row Former lead member of Richmond LAND board accused of embezzlement If you re in Walnut Creek for two hours the city is tracking you Should you be worried Amazon AI tech crafted in South Bay could speed same-day deliveries Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist Contact him at larry larrymagid com