14 DAY TRIAL // Cortana is set to arrive on the desktop with the help of Windows 9, and even though Microsoft is struggling to keep details secret, a new batch of leaked screenshots confirm the introduction of this new feature in the upcoming operating system.
Photos published by editors over at WinFuture show that Cortana is currently implemented in Windows 9 as a reminder, but by the time the operating system hits the market in stable form, more feature should be available for users.
Cortana is currently available on Windows Phone 8.1 exclusively, but Microsoft has already confirmed that other versions, including a desktop one, will be released in the coming years.
Not much is known about Cortana for Windows 9, but the personal assistant is expected to get pretty much the same feature lineup as its sibling offered to Windows Phone buyers.
Still a reminder for now, full personal assistant by April
As you can see for yourselves by clicking the photos in the gallery, Cortana is only in very early development stages on the market, so both features and design need to be polished before it hits the market in stable mode.
At this point, it only serves as a reminder, but Microsoft does call it “Cortana,” so this is pretty much the most obvious indication that the personal assistant is coming on PCs and tablets.
By the time it hits the shelves, Cortana should have all options available on Windows Phone, including support for voice commands, which should help users perform tasks faster and easier without the need to touch the mouse or keyboard.
Cortana could make its debut in the preview version of Windows 9 later this month, but only limited features are likely to be released for now.
Microsoft likely to lock essential features
While Cortana could indeed show up for the very first time in Windows 9 preview, some of its features might only be available to a limited number of users, as Redmond is likely to lock certain options of the personal assistant.
Sources from within the company have said that a more advanced version of Cortana is currently available only to some Microsoft employees and the software giant is making really big efforts to keep us from this new feature.
Of course, Microsoft is really putting big hopes in Cortana for Windows 9, and there’s no doubt that this is going to be one of the most important features of the operating system, but with leaks coming every once in a while, we’ll see what she can do sooner than the company wants.
