14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has tried to make Cortana available on as many platforms as possible, and now it looks like the Redmond-based software giant is likely to get the taste of the invasion of its own playground as well.
If a report from German site WindowsUnited is accurate, then Amazon may be planning to release an official Alexa app for Windows 10 by the end of the year, technically providing users of Microsoft’s latest operating system with an alternative in terms of digital assistants.
While this can only be good news for consumers because having alternatives is without a doubt welcome, Amazon apparently doesn’t want to fully replace Cortana, but to make the two assistants work together in a more effective manner.
How it aims to do that is still unknown at this point, but if its plan goes further, we could find out sometime in the next few months.
Windows 10 in S Mode also a target
By releasing Alexa as a UWP app, Amazon wants to tackle the full Windows 10 device ecosystem, so its digital assistant would be available including on devices running Windows 10 in S Mode. This means Alexa would be offered even to customers in the education sector where Amazon is trying to increase its presence these days.
News of Alexa coming to Windows 10 comes from Trekstor, a company that builds devices running Amazon’s digital assistant and which has apparently been briefed about the expansion plans for the digital assistant.
Obviously, we should still take this with a healthy pinch of salt, though it’s worth mentioning that Amazon launching Alexa on Windows 10 makes sense at some level.
Without a doubt, however, Microsoft won’t just wait for Alexa to land on its own playground and steal its users, but in the meantime improve the feature arsenal of its digital assistant with new capabilities to secure its userbase.