14 DAY TRIAL // There was a time when Microsoft was all about Windows, Office, and a few other solutions, but as part of the company’s transition from a software giant to a mobile-first, cloud-first leader, the Microsoft Store was turned into the right place to buy a plethora of other products.
After Android devices, which are available from the Microsoft Store both online and retail, the Redmond-based firm has started selling Amazon Echo devices, as discovered by Twitter user WalkingCat.
Strangely enough, the official links for Amazon Echo and Echo Dot have been pulled from the Microsoft Store, which could mean that the company either made a mistake and isn’t actually selling these, which is highly unlikely, or the product pages went live earlier than projected.
However, Microsoft selling Amazon devices isn’t a decision that comes totally out of the blue, despite being a move that sometimes puts its products on the second spot.
The future of Cortana
Alexa, which is a rival for Microsoft’s own Cortana, has received more and more attention from the software giant, and after signing a deal with Amazon on making the two assistants work together, the partnership has evolved to bring Alexa to Xbox and Windows 10.
Most recently, Alexa for Windows 10 went live on the Microsoft Store, so users of Microsoft’s latest operating system are now being provided with another digital assistant beside Cortana.
Many believe this is part of Microsoft’s attempt of turning Cortana into an enterprise-focused product, while Alexa would be offered as a consumer-oriented alternative. This does make sense at some level, as rumors seem to indicate that Cortana would be separated from the Windows Search in a Windows 10 feature update, giving the digital assistant a less prominent role in the operating system.
For now, you can no longer buy Amazon’s devices from Microsoft, as the devices remain unavailable, but expect more news in this regard to be shared soon.