Microsoft has confirmed its Cortana digital personal assistant application will be launched on iOS and Android platforms. The Redmond based company though has stated the app won't be able to perform to its full potential as it lacks the deep system integration that it enjoys on Windows Phone on the third party systems.
For Microsoft, it still makes a lot of sense to tap into iOS and Android smartphones as it complies with its bigger strategy of bringing Windows to greater relevance among users of mobile computing devices.
As such, what Cortana will lack on the iPhone or Android smartphones is its cross app manipulating abilities, changing settings, launching apps or the 'Hey Cortana' voice activation system, among others. The app will still come in handy for a variety of tasks which includes checking sports updates, weather reports, traffic routes, tracking flight details, setting location based reminders and so on, Mac Rumors reported.
Microsoft's other intention with Cortana is to integrate it with Windows 10 as well as the Microsoft Edge browser which will introduce the digital assistant to the desktop computing environment for the first time. Hence, without being available on third party systems, Cortana would have lost most of its relevance considering the feeble market presence that Windows Phone currently enjoys.
The situation Microsoft is faced with is this: there are many out there who have Windows based desktops at home but use an iPhone or an Android smartphone. With Cortana soon to be available on these platforms, Microsoft will be able to bridge the digital divide and ensure its ecosystem will continue to be in focus even though users are not using Windows based systems fully.
It is also this thought process that explains the rationale behind Microsoft launching the companion app. With this, users will be able to choose the smartphone type they have and appropriately download the relevant apps from the Microsoft store for use on their smartphones.
This will allow users to continue using their smartphones while still being able to use Microsoft services such as Skype, OneNote, and Office or to use Microsoft's cloud based storage service OneDrive. Similarly, a music app soon to launched on iOS and Android will allow one to stream music for free if stored in OneDrive.
However, the one question that many have been asking is whether iPhone users will be willing to ditch Siri in favour of Cortana, or if it makes enough sense to have two personal assistants at the same time. The only point in favour of Cortana on third party systems is that it can prove handy for those who are already heavily invested on Microsoft services, Anand Tech reported.