14 DAY TRIAL // We are likely one or two weeks away from the official market release of Windows Phone 8.1 and we’re still not sure where one of the most popular features, Cortana, will be available.
The intelligent personal assistant has become very popular among Windows Phone fans even before its official launch on the market. Currently, Cortana functions as a beta program, which is only available to those who have installed Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview on their smartphones.
Most Windows Phone early adopters, regardless of the region they are living in, have managed to activate Cortana even if it’s not officially available in their countries.
Even if only a fraction of the features that would be available for them in the final version of Cortana is activated in the beta, the vast majority of Windows Phone users really love Microsoft’s personal assistant.
Microsoft’s Cortana is a huge success even before being fully released on Windows Phone devices. The only problem that the Redmond-based company would have to face is to satisfy its fans’ demands for the launch of Cortana in their countries.
The personal assistant will only be available in the United States initially, but Microsoft has already confirmed that it will release it in the UK and China only a few weeks after it goes live in the US. Cortana will also be available in India and Canada by the end of this year, but other countries have yet to be confirmed by the company.
There have been lots of rumors lately that Microsoft may bring Cortana to additional platforms such as Android and iOS, and some of these speculations were based on some confusing statements from the company’s officials.
Since everything has been cleared up, we now have a better view of what Microsoft has in store for Cortana fans. Well, first of all, I’m sorry to disappoint iOS and Android users, but I don’t think Cortana will be available on these platforms anytime soon.
The service is not even fully available for all Windows Phone users, so Microsoft can’t even think of bringing it to other mobile operating systems and annoy its fans.
Secondly, Cortana is one of Windows Phone’s main selling points. Why would Microsoft give up on such an important feature just to have more reach with some of its services (Bing Maps, Search etc.).
Microsoft will have a lot to lose by making Cortana available to Android and iOS users, especially that the Windows Phone market share is so far behind these platforms.
Even if the company decides that the moment to bring Cortana to Android and iOS has arrived, probably in a distant future, the best experience will always be offered on Windows Phone devices.
This means that Android and iOS versions of Cortana will probably miss some major features in comparison with the Windows Phone version. Given the fact that Cortana works best with Microsoft’s services, like Bing Maps and Search, it’s obvious that it will not be just as efficient in other ecosystems that do not integrate its services.
These are some of the most important reasons that Cortana will not be available on Android and iOS platforms in the near future, but Microsoft surely has a lot more.
From the latest statements coming from various officials at the company, it’s clear that Microsoft is completely dedicated to its Windows Phone users and wants to offer them the best experience when using its products.