Goodbye, Cortana, Maybe We'll Miss You!

[nir]

Cortana becoming a second-class citizen of Windows 10

Cortana is currently positioned as one of the key features in Windows 10, and almost every update for the operating system included new digital assistant capabilities.

It’s no secret, however, that Cortana isn’t exactly the hit feature that Microsoft expected it to be, and I think the main cause is that the Redmond-based software giant lacks a mobile platform of its own.

One of the reasons Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri are so widely used right now is the market share of the mobile operating systems that offer them. There’s no doubt a digital assistant makes much more sense on a smartphone than it does on a PC, but given Microsoft decided to retire Windows 10 Mobile, focusing on the desktop is pretty much the only way to go.

More recently, Microsoft has started testing a feature that provides us with a glimpse into how the company sees the future of Cortana in Windows 10.

In fact, the software company is making a change that just makes sense: Cortana will be separated from the Windows Search, so the two features will come with their own icons in Windows 10.

In other words, this means that those who don’t want to use Cortana can just disable the assistant and remove its icon from the taskbar, whereas right now, this isn’t possible because it’s tied to the Windows Search feature. You can still disable Cortana, obviously, but on the other hand, offering the two as a mix in Windows 10 provides the digital assistant with more visibility on the desktop.

There’s no doubt that Microsoft should have done this a long time ago, but it’s this visibility the one that didn’t allow it to. The company just had to wait for Cortana to reach a certain adoption level before downgrading it.

What’s important to know is that Cortana won’t have the same fate as other Windows features that were eventually retired. No, the digital assistant will continue to be available in Windows 10 and even receive further improvements, though it’s pretty clear that the focus right now is on the enterprise.

But on the other hand, by separating it from the Windows Search, Microsoft makes Cortana a second-class citizen. And I’m pretty sure that most users out there would just disable it, hide its icon, and then forget it ever existed. Including me on my home PC, that is.

However, this doesn’t mean that this change, as well as Cortana’s increased focus on the enterprise, won’t be a loss for home users. There are users out there who just love this feature, though right now it’s not known what percentage of the Windows 10 adopters actually stick with the digital assistant.

Not a long time ago I asked our readers if they use Cortana in Windows 10 and just as I expected, the answers were mixed both here on Softpedia and on our social channels. Some say they hate Cortana, while others claimed they use it every day.

“I've been and continue to use Cortana every day from my Surfaces at work and home. Everything from setting appointments to putting things in my shopping list to pre-work traffic and weather, I get through her... And she's the default Assistant on my Android phone because, while Google Assistant is too often reporting it can't reach the internet to find the number of the person I ask it to call, Cortana looks at the directory on the phone and makes the call,” our reader Richard Durishin explained.

While it may seem like Cortana is here to stay, I’m very sure that the future will be more and more about the enterprise.

And by reducing its visibility in Windows 10, Microsoft provides us with just a short hint as to how the digital assistant would evolve in the coming years. How this direction would change depends on a lot of factors, including user feedback, so if you want to see Cortana go or remain a top feature of Windows 10, make yourselves heard in the box after the jump.

Source

[Pete 12]

"

Goodbye, Cortana, Maybe We'll Miss You! " ...........dont think so !   

[The AchieVer]

RIP ... Cortana and let us live without you ......I guess nobody will miss you 😁

[BimBamSmash]

1 hour ago, nir said:

One of the reasons Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri are so widely used right now is the market share of the mobile operating systems that offer them. There’s no doubt a digital assistant makes much more sense on a smartphone than it does on a PC, but given Microsoft decided to retire Windows 10 Mobile, focusing on the desktop is pretty much the only way to go.

 

This.

 

Its looks very much like a followup to the design mistake they made with Windows 8: Bring features and design languages that are best suited for smartphones to PCs, force these said feature on users with no option to opt out, and expect it to be a hit.