It’s known that Microsoft has been pushing all of its services to rival Android and iOS platforms after a dismal failure of their Windows Phone. Most of Microsoft’s utility applications such as Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Outlook and others are available as individual downloads on respective app stores. However, Microsoft’s Cortana AI assistant has been on Android and iOS for a long time but hasn’t graced the iPad platform yet, until now. Yes, Cortana is finally there on iPad.
Microsoft has rolled out Cortana for iPads. The app can be downloaded from the App Store as a separate app, just like on Android. Cortana comes with all of its smart assistant features such as taking reminders, displaying search results and other activities. Microsoft has also made it sure that the refreshed Cortana will utilise the new aspect ratio on the newest iPhone X, so X users needn’t worry about black bars. However, since Apple’s ecosystem is known to be a ‘walled-garden’, users will have to keep the Cortana app open to make use of Cortana’s features. The update isn't available in India as of now.
Despite Cortana not as closely integrated to iOS Siri, it seems that Microsoft is trying its best to retain its loyal customers and fans on the iOS platform. This especially comes as a good news for iPad users as many consider the iPad as an alternative to a budget laptop. Google’s Assistant is also available on iOS, lacking integration like Cortana but packing in native support for Google’s services.
