The future of Cortana is all about helping you work better on Windows 10 and beyond

Microsoft'due south own digital banana Cortana is a very curious case in 2022. It's a feature (service?) that appears to be alive and kick internally, but showing trivial to no sign of improvement externally. Cortana has become brackish in the digital banana market; it's even so mostly US only, its dedicated speaker game is basically non-existent, and its integration with Windows 10 (the only platform where information technology has any leverage) kind of sucks.

At this point, there'due south nil Microsoft tin do to compete with Google or Amazon. Cortana has fallen too far backside to play take hold of up, and honestly, it doesn't wait like Microsoft wants to compete in the digital assistant market anyhow, at least not in the consumer space. If they did, we'd take seen some action from Microsoft by now fighting dorsum, just we haven't. So, what's going on? If Cortana is live and kicking internally, why isn't Cortana improving on the surface?

Instead of chasing Google Banana and Apple tree Siri, Microsoft is repositioning Cortana as a "productivity assistant" to assist you get stuff done.

I've been asking around, talking to several sources about Cortana for quite some time now, because it fascinates me at how bad things have turned for the assistant. Recollect that when Cortana first launched, it was a shining example of what a digital banana should exist. It was better than annihilation else on the market at the fourth dimension, only e'er since Windows 10 launched, things have fallen behind and never recovered.

As it turns out, Microsoft is well-enlightened that Cortana has fallen behind, and it also knows full well that there's cipher it can do to bring Cortana back up into the calorie-free for consumers. So, instead of wasting resources in even trying, Microsoft is attempting to "reposition" (for lack of a ameliorate term) Cortana as more of a productivity assistant rather than a 'personal banana' that most digital assistants pitch themselves every bit. What does this hateful? Quite a few things, really.

A refined experience

To begin, it means Microsoft is redesigning how users interact with Cortana on Windows 10. Upward until now, the only entry point for Cortana has been via Windows Search, which about users take expressed extreme dislike towards. Turns out, most people use search for search, and don't want things like news, upcoming calendar events, and more than in their search feel, and rightly so.

I've already written a bit well-nigh this in the past, Microsoft is planning to move Cortana'south entry point into the Activity Center / System Tray, and promote a more than keyboard friendly experience that encourages the user to blazon rather than speak. Microsoft calls this new experience "conversational canvas", and is substantially but a chat window between the user and Cortana. Of course, yous tin can yet use your voice if you lot like, but most people prefer typing when at their PCs.

The conversational sail is designed to be a continuous dialogue betwixt the user and the system. Cortana volition still be able to practice common digital banana tasks, including things like turning appliances on or off, ask information technology to define words, reminders, conditions, and more, just like yous already can today, except since it's a chat view you have a thread. Considering of this, you lot can scroll up and run into what you and Cortana have said in the past, etc.

Microsoft's end goal is to integrate Cortana into Windows 10 seamlessly and so that users don't even know they're using it.

Notwithstanding, at that place's more to the story than just moving Cortana's entry point into the Action Center. Microsoft's end goal hither is to integrate Cortana into Windows x seamlessly so that users don't even know they're using the assistant. This is where the "productivity" attribute of this repositioning comes in. Cortana tin can keep y'all being productive past sharing activities across devices with Timeline and "Choice upwardly where you left off," sync and manage notifications across devices, and present things contextually.

What's more, since Cortana is moving into the Action Center, Cortana becomes the "director" of all your notifications on Windows and other platforms. In the future, Cortana may even exist able to organize notifications, and automatically gear up reminders depending on the contents of the notifications. Then you've got things like Focus Assist, which Cortana taps into. Y'all'll notice that Cortana already pops upwards with things you lot missed once you turn Focus Assist off.

More integration

The aforementioned goes for Timeline. Cortana can hook into Timeline data across devices, and cherry selection what it thinks will be nearly relevant to the user and nowadays it via "pick up where you left off." What'south more, Things like Timeline and Focus Assist really piece of work in markets where Cortana doesn't, and that's the beauty of this new "rethinking" of Cortana. Instead of building new features under Cortana, said new features are built standalone and Cortana is simply integrated into them.

This means new features don't have to be dependent on Cortana, and can work in areas where the assistant doesn't. This is a much better solution every bit information technology ways feature availability isn't held hostage past Cortana'due south lack of availability outside of the United States. Timeline is a standalone feature that Cortana can talk to, rather than being a Cortana feature that requires Cortana to part to exist useful.

Regarding search, Cortana will still be part of Windows Search simply you'll no longer discover things like the latest news or weather in there. Instead, you'll find suggestions that volition assistance y'all stay productive, such as your recent activities in Timeline, and straight admission to specific search categories. This is an example of how Cortana is existence integrated into areas of the OS without necessarily being all upwardly in your face up near it.

And then, what's happening with things like Cortana Skills and the Harman Kardon Invoke? As far as I'm aware, zilch. Cortana Skills aren't going abroad, considering it'll e'er be handy to be able to control your lights via your PC or a defended speaker. The Harman Kardon Invoke continues to be updated with new features and functions, suggesting Microsoft is not washed in this area either. We'll likely see Cortana evidence upward in more than appliances like the GLAS thermostat over time, too.

Microsoft is the just company that can truly make your PC and smartphone work better together.

This repositioning of Cortana is very interesting. Microsoft is in a unique position hither, equally it's the but company that tin can do this with Cortana. Google and Amazon don't have a PC platform, making Microsoft is the only company that tin can truly brand your PC and smartphone work meliorate together. Google Assistant won't be able to help you on your PC, and it won't be able to send notifications and other things to your PC either. Cortana tin can.

While information technology doesn't set all of Cortana's problems, it does hateful Cortana won't be going abroad anytime shortly. Instead, we should see Cortana become smarter, more integrated, and more seamless in Windows ten, and piece of work for the user without the user necessarily fifty-fifty thinking about it. In fact, a lot of these changes are already available in Redstone 4, and I'd wager nosotros'll exist seeing more of these improvements show up over the next yr or so.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-repositioning-cortana

Posted by: simpkinsnocarain.blogspot.com

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