Microsoft’s next major desktop OS revamp, Windows 9, will almost certainly include the company’s Cortana personal digital assistant, it’s been revealed.
Currently, Cortana can be found in Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft’s latest mobile OS. But the voice-activated assistant is set to make its way across to the desktop when Windows 9 ships in spring 2015.
Windows enthusiast website Neowin spotted signs of Cortana in Windows Threshold – the early test version of Windows 9 – some time ago, but it recently reported that the feature has finally “graduated.”
This means that Cortana for Windows 9 is no longer a light, experimental feature that could just as easily be dropped in the final reckoning. Rather, Microsoft is now said to be pushing ahead with attempting to ship the feature in the final Windows 9 build.
The Verge, meanwhile, goes a little further on this and claims that Cortana on Windows 9 is a “major area of investment” for Microsoft.
It’s still early days for the Cortana personal assistant on your desktop, however. At present, it’s nowhere near as well integrated as it is on Windows Phone 8.1. In fact, it’s said to be a rather simple app, which opens in a small window and allows you to type or ask a question verbally.
Cortana functionality is expected to be baked into the final Windows 9 OS, however. Microsoft has already revealed that it is updating the digital assistant every two weeks at the moment, so this Windows 9 implementation should develop at pace.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.