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Microsoft's 'We're faster than a Mac' ad claims top Copilot+ PCs are up to 58% faster than Apple's last-gen M3 MacBook Air

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“We’re faster than a Mac. Here’s how much faster.”

Microsoft branding for Copilot+ PC
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft released a 12-second video on the official Windows YouTube channel, saying, “We’re faster than a Mac. Here’s how much faster.” The host in the short YouTube clip says, “Top Copilot+ PCs are up to 58% faster than MacBook Air with M3.” They reiterate, “That’s right, faster than a Mac.”

Redmond has been pushing its Arm-based Copilot+ PCs hard, primarily because they accounted for less than 10% of total shipments in the 3rd quarter of 2024. These Snapdragon-powered laptops have already been on the market for a year, but their uptake is still seemingly slow. This is happening despite the Qualcomm CEO saying that Arm processors will corner 50% of the Windows PC market in five years.

Copilot+ PC manufacturers tout their laptops' AI capabilities as their main selling point. However, people's main reasons for looking at and purchasing these devices are their extreme battery life and the need to upgrade to a new laptop.

We’re faster than a Mac. Here’s how much faster. #CopilotPCs #Windows #Windows11 - YouTube We’re faster than a Mac. Here’s how much faster. #CopilotPCs #Windows #Windows11 - YouTube
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The cheesy ad seems to target buyers in the latter camp, telling them that Copilot+ PCs are faster than the most affordable MacBook Air. However, if you look at the fine print, the data was gathered from a test done last year, and it specifically says the result was from a multi-core benchmark.

Apple launched the M4 MacBook Air earlier this year, and it’s one of the best value laptops you can get from Cupertino. More than that, this model is more affordable than the previous-generation M3 MacBook Air and now comes standard with 16GB of unified memory. The new M4 MacBook Air would likely blow other Copilot+ PCs out of the water, especially as it’s significantly more powerful than the M3.

Still, this does not mean you should avoid Copilot+ PCs and go for the Mac. After all, many people are still more comfortable using a Windows PC, and their extraordinary battery life should be able to stop a few laptop shoppers on the fence from jumping ship.

Suppose Microsoft can improve software support for these Arm-powered devices, allowing for more hardware customization and upgrades. In that case, PC enthusiasts will likely experiment and see what they can do with them. But until that happens, you might continue seeing cheesy ads like this, practically saying, Please, buy a Copilot+ PC.

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Jowi Morales
Jowi Morales
Contributing Writer

Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.

19 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Findecanor
    I still don't want anything "Copilot+"
    The brand is an affront to everything I stand for.
    I want Microsoft to stop stealing people's Monday-to-Friday source code and artwork.

    I would buy a computer that respects people's work and does not collude in mass-plagiarism.
    Reply
  • dCasualGamer
    I'll get a Lunarlake laptop, thank you.
    Reply
  • hightechjoe
    Why do companies continue to try to play these games? Makes me not want to buy any of their products.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    "our top of the line product is (specifically multicore benchmark) better than the competitors last generation product...but probably not the top of the line last gen product!"
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    We're faster than a Mac!*

    *A year+ old Mac, and not in every metric, and not in graphics, and you definitely have to pay more for a Surface than another brand with the same specs, and don't expect everything to work on Windows 11 on ARM...
    Reply
  • palladin9479
    So Microsoft is saying their PC is faster the Apples PC at AI stuff we don't want.
    Reply
  • IamGreg
    Findecanor said:
    I still don't want anything "Copilot+"
    The brand is an affront to everything I stand for.
    I want Microsoft to stop stealing people's Monday-to-Friday source code and artwork.

    I would buy a computer that respects people's work and does not collude in mass-plagiarism.
    I respect the concern, but most people just want a fast, reliable laptop that runs the apps they need. The average buyer isn’t thinking about Copilot+ as some grand ethical battleground—they just want to know if it opens Photoshop and lasts all day on a charge. Maybe not even Photoshop and just email and web browsing.
    Reply
  • IamGreg
    palladin9479 said:
    So Microsoft is saying their PC is faster the Apples PC at AI stuff we don't want.
    To be fair, AI acceleration is quickly becoming table stakes whether for image editing, transcriptions, or local assistants. Apple’s pushing ‘Apple Intelligence’ too, though the rollout’s been shaky. I’d rather have the horsepower and not need it than get left behind when apps start relying on it.
    Reply
  • IamGreg
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    We're faster than a Mac!*

    *A year+ old Mac, and not in every metric, and not in graphics, and you definitely have to pay more for a Surface than another brand with the same specs, and don't expect everything to work on Windows 11 on ARM...
    Fair points—benchmark cherry-picking is classic marketing. But let’s be real: ARM on Windows is just now hitting a turning point. Macs went through similar growing pains when they first moved away from Intel too, and now look where they are. Copilot+ PCs might not be perfect today, but they’re laying the groundwork for a big shift in the Windows ecosystem.
    Reply
  • IamGreg
    hightechjoe said:
    Why do companies continue to try to play these games? Makes me not want to buy any of their products.

    Honestly, Microsoft’s Surface lineup isn’t even close to outselling Macs. Apple’s Mac sales dominate premium laptops globally, while Surface remains a niche player. It’s one thing to claim speed in selective benchmarks, but market reality tells a different story; people keep choosing Macs for their reliability, ecosystem, and overall performance.
    Reply