More signs point to Cortana appearing in Windows 9 Threshold

By Konrad Krawczyk August 12, 2014

cortana voice assistant app coming to windows 9 threshold win 8 start 3 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

A new report reinforces the notion that Cortana, Windows Phones’ voice assistant, will make its debut on the PC with Windows 9.

The new whispers, which come courtesy of Neowin, indicates that Cortana has been promoted past the “Can this work in Windows 9” stage of development. This increases the likelihood that Cortana will appear in Windows 9 whenever it’s released.

Related: Windows 9 public preview “likely” coming this fall

What’s more, it appears that Cortana in Windows 9 will take the form of an app, instead of being baked into Windows itself. Theoretically, if Cortana is an app in Windows 9, it could be uninstalled, and therefore avoided altogether.

If that’s the case, we’re glad that Microsoft is giving users the option of using Cortana. That’s part of the reason why Windows 8 has flopped to this point; radical changes like the Charms bar, and the Metro UI, were forced on users, instead of giving them the choice to turn those on and off.

Related: Windows 9 could be a free upgrade for XP, Vista, and Windows 7 users

Keep in mind though; Cortana is not yet a lock to appear in Windows 9, but it’s indeed looking more likely. If it does make it, users will reportedly be able to put Cortana to work either by typing in a question, or by voicing queries orally, just like it works in Windows Phone 8.1.

At this point, Windows 9 rumors indicate that it will be released sometime in Spring 2015, will include a revamped version of the Start menu that was stripped out in Windows 8, will allow for Metro apps to run in Windowed mode, and will eliminate the Charms menu that debuted in Windows 8. However, Windows 9 has yet to be formally announced by Microsoft.

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Konrad Krawczyk

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…

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