Microsoft Ends Support for Cortana on Windows
Microsoft states that it will stop supporting Cortana in Windows as a standalone app. This will start later this year.
It is not surprising, though. In May, the company announced that it was going to introduce the Windows Copilot tool. Windows Copilot will be integrated into Windows 11. And it will also be available from the taskbar across all apps.
Copilot uses AI to assist you in doing everything and more. It can summarize content, rewrite the text, ask questions, and more. You can even ask it to adjust your computer’s settings.
It will have a separate Copilot button. Thus, it will not directly replace the search bar on the taskbar. In other words, it is like how Cortana had its dedicated space.
Microsoft described Copilot as a personal assistant. But remember how the company also described Cortana when it introduced it to the public many years ago?
Copilot is integrated into the operating system. Thus, it can do more than just take action on a PC.
Cortana in 2015
Microsoft brought its digital assistant to Windows 10 after introducing it first to Windows Phones. On the desktop, the digital assistant took the form of a search box.
It was sitting right beside the Start button. It allowed you to search the web and your computer with result that would just pop up above it.
The assistant could do simple searches. But it could provide righter information, such as flight statuses. It could also send emails and launch apps.
Over the years, however, the company has been phasing it out of the Windows experience. It just lost its position on the taskbar when Windows 11 was released. It also did not appear in the first boot experience.
In 2020, the company shut down its Cortana app. It also remove the Cortana functionality for its first-gen Surface Headphones the following year. It marked a huge step for the company in moving away from digital assistants to include a more productivity-focused assistant.
When the Company Will Remove Cortana?
It is not clear when it will do so exactly. However, it is clear that the company is developing a suite of AI tools that includes Bing chatbot and Copilot.
However, Cortana will stay in Outlook MObile. It will still be available in Microsoft Teams mobile, Teams rooms, and Teams display. But it may not be that long.
The company appears to believe that Windows Copilot and Bing Chat services can easily replace Cortana. The digital assistant’s development was halted when the pandemic started.
Cortana is just one of the company’s projects that just fell by the wayside. Microsoft is more focused on virtual assistant software. It is tapping ChatGPT, which powers the Copilot system. It is the company’s way of answering everyday questions and helping users complete work, such as transcribing meetings, writing essays, etc.
Microsoft’s virtual assistant has faced several challenges and limitations that have contributed to its perceived shortcomings and relative lack of success compared to other virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa.
