Microsoft has stated it is ending the provision that provided Windows 10 users with the liberty to choosing the search engine and web browser of their choice to work in conjugation with Cortana.
What that means is that any search request made via the Cortana search feature will always be accomplished using Bing search, and the results will always be shown on the Edge browser.
That might seem stifling of user’s own rights or preferences though Microsoft justified the move claiming it has been done to ensure Cortana is able to deliver optimum results each time. With better and smarter capabilities being built into Cortana, it requires a common understanding of the search semantics to ensure Cortana comes up with the most relevant results.
So far, users had the option of choosing their own browser and search engine to work with Cortana. However, as Microsoft has said, Cortana is at her reliable and predictable best only when she is paired up with Microsoft’s own Edge browser and Bing search.
“Unfortunately, as Windows 10 has grown in adoption and usage, we have seen some software programs circumvent the design of Windows 10 and redirect you to search providers that were not designed to work with Cortana,” Microsoft said. “The result is a compromised experience that is less reliable and predictable.”
Cortana has been the recipient of several improvements brought about by the last few Windows 10 updates that Microsoft has come up with. The Redmond giant has also stated they have grand plans for its personal digital assistant offering, which includes endowing her with the capabilities of accomplishing more personalised and often tricky stuff.
That includes such scenarios like say asking Cortana to search for Best Buy where she won’t just be guiding the user to bestbuy.com but will also offer coupons where applicable to save money.
Or, as Microsoft has conceptualised in its official Windows blog, asking Cortana to get tickets to the Rihanna show. While it’s Bing that does the search functionality, and the results are shown on Edge, Cortana, on her part, will try buying tickets according to the user’s preferences and will also offer to buy them on the user’s behalf.
“The continuity of these types of task completion scenarios is disrupted if Cortana can’t depend on Bing as the search provider and Microsoft Edge as the browser,” Microsoft’s Ryan Gavin, GM of Search and Cortana added. “The only way we can confidently deliver this personalized, end-to-end search experience is through the integration of Cortana, Microsoft Edge, and Bing — all designed to do more for you.”
Users though still have the option to choose the browser and search engine of their choice. It’s just that Cortana will henceforth be tied up with only Bing and Edge.
