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.
