Chime in: Is Alexa on PC bad news for Cortana?

One of the bombshells from CES 2018 was that some Windows PC makers like ASUS, HP, and Acer announced a partnership with Amazon to integrate Alexa with their new products. That's not instead of Cortana, of course, which is built into Windows 10, but it does put arguably the most well known and supported virtual assistant where it has never been before.

So does this mean Cortana should be looking over her shoulder, looking for the proverbial axe? That's what we're talking about in the Windows Central forums.

I guess Cortana will be getting the axe soon... I don't have any iOS/Apple so no Siri for me, please and thank you. I won't Google Now. I put as few of my eggs into Google's basket as I can. I use Cortana all the time on PC and Handset. If Microsoft is going to let it die off (like they do with so many things) and I have to move to something else I guess it would be Alexa. However, I...

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There's no denying that Alexa is a much more established player in the space. Not only is it supported by Amazon's own hardware, but recent times have seen it expand far beyond that, and now we're going to be seeing it pop up in cars and wearables as well as on PCs, phones and tablets. Anyone who's anyone in the smart home market supports Alexa, and it's available in a number of locations around the globe.

More: Microsoft needs to prove it's serious about Cortana before it's too late

Compare that to Cortana, which until recently was limited to Microsoft's own software platforms before expanding with the Invoke, and now it seems a smart thermostat. Cortana skills are lesser in quantity than Alexa, but most importantly, officially all this extra functionality is limited to the United States.

There's no doubt this latest development is both a good and bad news scenario for Microsoft fans. It's fantastic news that Amazon is bringing Alexa finally to Windows 10, but it does leave concerns over the future for Cortana. But what do you make of it all? Drop by the forums thread below and let us know.

Goodbye Cortana, Hello Alexa on Windows 10 PC from Acer, Asus, and HP

Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine