Microsoft readying Cortana for India; won't ship it with Windows 10 for now

New Delhi: Windows users in India will have to wait for some more time for voice-activated digital assistant 'Cortana' as Microsoft is updating the software with "strong" local content.

Microsoft, which unveiled its much-awaited Windows 10 operating system globally and in-built Cortana today, has held back from launching the Siri's (Apple) rival in India.

"Cortana will be made available to Insiders (developers with Microsoft) in the coming weeks and then later to consumers," Microsoft India Director (Windows Business Group) Vineet Durani told PTI.

People can use use 'virtual assistant' Cortana to find data, track information, set reminders, etc.

"Cortana is not just an assistant. It understands the context and answers accordingly. It is not just about understanding accents. So, there is a strong localisation that needs to be done," he said.

Microsoft today launched the Windows 10 across 190 countries globally. Available as a free upgrade for existing users of Windows 7 and 8.1, the new operating system is part of Microsoft's attempts to compete with rivals like Apple and Google.

While an estimated 1.5 billion machines run Windows, Apple's iOS and Google's Android based smartphones and tablets have emerged as strong competition to the Redmond-based firm.

With the new OS, Microsoft plans to offer a seamless experience to users across devices like PCs, tablets, smartphones and XBox (its gaming device).

"Microsoft is presenting not just an OS, but an experience. There is a fundamental shift in the design and user interface. It will help IT leaders work in a better manner as there will be seamless syncing across devices," Gartner Principal Research Analyst Vishal Tripathi said.

He added that it still needs to be seen whether Microsoft can move pirated software users to original software.

"Also, enterprise customers may wait a bit before transitioning to Windows 10 as support for previous generation is still available. Its not only about the OS which is a concern for organizations it's also about security, compatibility and manageability so many of them will adopt wait and watch strategy," Tripathi said.

Organisations would need to spend efforts, time and money to test the compatibility with other softwares as well, he added.