Microsoft’s new Cortana app doesn’t know the answer to 2+2

Microsoft confirmed Friday what PCWorld’s testing has already discovered: Cortana’s transition to an app in the upcoming Windows 10 20H1 release comes with some big, fundamental limitations. That includes a surprisingly basic one: it can’t even perform basic math. 

Microsoft representatives told PCWorld later that additional skills, such as calculator functions, will be coming with general availability.

Right now, Microsoft’s Cortana remains docked in your Windows taskbar. When you click on the icon, you can (orally) ask it questions, such as the height of the Eiffel Tower or the what the weather forecast will be. Within the upcoming Windows 10 20H1 feature release, Cortana moves from a docked experience to a separate, distinct app, and that’s where the problems creep in.

Microsoft characterized the new Cortana as a “beta,” and it’s now been optimized for integration with your work life more than anything else. In a blog post on Friday, Microsoft confirmed a big limitation. You can log into either your work or your personal account with it, restricting Cortana queries to information it knows about one account or the other. For example, unless you’ve chosen to note your proctologist appointment on your work calendar, it’s possible Cortana won’t know when that appointment actually is.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Cortana is now an assistant designed for work, Microsoft says, “with an emphasis on productivity, helping you quickly find the information you want across Microsoft 365.” That means you should be able to access information about your coworkers and workflow first and foremost. There’s one plus that’s not within the current version: you can now talk or type to Cortana, and the exchange is treated like a chat app, with a list of results that can be scrolled up and down.

What Cortana can’t do now

And that’s just for Americans. “For English (United States) users, Cortana will assist you in better managing your schedule and tasks by staying on top of your calendar and focusing on what matters with meeting insights,” Microsoft says. “You can speak or type requests to find people or files, or quickly create or query emails. You can also easily check your calendar, set a reminder, or add to your lists in Microsoft To Do.”

Mark Hachman / IDG

And if you’re outside the United States, sorry. Only “conversations with Bing” and “the ability to chat with Cortana” will be included, whatever that means.

But Microsoft is removing Cortana’s abilities to play music, govern your connected home, and manage third-party skills. That essentially means no controls for Spotify, the final (?) demise of third-party Cortana-powered IoT devices like the Harman / Kardon Invoke, and the end of the…