Cortana is good, but can it save Microsoft?
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On July 30, Microsoft finally found a partner for "Xiaobing". The voice assistant Cortana, which Microsoft had high expectations for from the beginning, officially landed in China with the Chinese name "Xiao Na". In a sense, voice recognition is another important form of human-computer interaction in the modern intelligent field besides touch operation and somatosensory control. From its emergence to maturity, Cortana also indicates that the three giants Apple, Google, and Microsoft have achieved their own results in this regard. Cortana's entry into China also surpasses Google in terms of geographical advantages in some aspects. However, there is no clear answer as to what kind of advantages Cortana can bring to Microsoft, or whether "Xiao Na", which is rooted in the Windows Phone platform, can stimulate Microsoft, which has performed poorly in the mobile market. "Xiao Na" is more "down-to-earth" than Siri. The earliest English version of Cortana was released in San Francisco, USA in April this year. During the more than three months of delay, the Chinese version was not simply translated into Chinese. The Microsoft China team spent a lot of time to make Cortana more "down-to-earth", and this work started a year ago. In terms of language style, Cortana or "Xiao Na" is closer to the voice of normal people, and the instructions and prompts are more colloquial. For example, she does not say "the text message has been sent", but "the text message has been sent". Combined with the good accumulation of artificial intelligence reflected by "Microsoft Xiaobing" which has been hot on social media recently, it constitutes its most significant advantage over other existing voice recognition systems including Apple Siri. For domestic users, Microsoft's voice recognition system not only has a friendly name, but also has local customized services for Chinese users and connections with domestic third-party applications that can quickly narrow the distance between users. According to data, Microsoft has differentiated the Chinese version of Cortana in 15 aspects, including weather, location, news, flights, etc., which even includes the functions of watching local TV programs and following celebrities. In the early stage, Cortana also selected seven institutions, including Tencent WeChat, Sina Weibo, Air China, and iQiyi, to carry out application cooperation. Users can directly use "Xiao Na" to call these applications. Next, Microsoft will open Cortana's API interface to all Chinese application developers to achieve global control of the devices in their hands with voice. Cortana is alive, but the fate of Windows Phone is still worrying. Cortana is highly expected by Microsoft. The highlights of "Xiao Na" are remarkable. It can be said that Microsoft has finally gained an advantage in the field of voice interaction. However, when we are all paying attention to "Xiao Na", the carrier it relies on has been ignored by most viewers. When the Chinese version of Cortana was released, Windows Phone 8.1 also received the latest Update system update. Cortana is a major new feature in the system update, but its popularity has really overshadowed the Windows Phone system itself. The introduction of interactive voice functions will make smart devices full of gimmicks. When Apple first launched Siri in iOS devices, the "teasing Siri" craze set off by all walks of life was enough to prove the charm of voice recognition technology. However, relying solely on excellent voice functions is definitely not enough to convince consumers to accept a smart product. After three minutes of enthusiasm, Siri is just an extended function in Apple's iOS system. In real life, the number of times users open Siri is few and far between. The comprehensive factors of the software and hardware system are the reason why Apple has been prosperous in the smart market. On the other hand, even if Cortana is a more powerful voice interactive assistant than Siri, the various shortcomings of the Windows Phone system that need to be improved will still make Microsoft's situation in the mobile market present a negative "barrel effect". From the perspective of market performance, the market share of Windows Phone has improved slightly in recent years, but it is still far behind the two giants Apple and Google. As for the internal distribution of WP, Nokia, which is "tortured" by Microsoft and is dying, still occupies more than 94% of the number of devices. A "dying" brand has become the main force in sales. What is the prospect of such a platform? Even though some industry insiders predict that the introduction of Cortana technology will help Microsoft and Windows Phone enter the next wave of smart markets such as smart homes more quickly, for an operating system with a scarce number of users, Cortana will eventually appear to be born at the wrong time. The giants have fallen, and low-end products may be able to survive . Does Windows Phone have no chance to stand out? Not necessarily. The characteristics of WP phones are not only that the fluency is better than Android and no less than iOS, but also that the demand for device hardware performance is extremely low. According to a report in April this year, Nokia's low-end smartphone Lumia 520 has a global market share of 26.5%, making it the most popular WP phone. From the actual experience, low-end Windows Phone devices will not compromise too much on the user experience, and devices with more than 1G of running memory will also receive this system update including the Cortana feature. This is a hardware requirement that even the Nokia 525, which is cheaper than the Redmi phone, can meet. The rise of smart mobile terminals has already shown us the results of subverting the market structure. Motorola, which has changed hands several times, has achieved outstanding performance in adversity with its thousand-yuan phone MOTO G. There are precedents of low-end products bringing "reversal" results to manufacturers. According to the current situation, cheap devices may once again become a breakthrough for Nokia, Microsoft and the expansion of Windows Phone platform and the popularization of Cortana. It is also a good choice for consumers to enjoy more advanced technology that is smarter than Siri on mobile devices that are within reach. As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity. |
>>: Smart home enters the platform stage, Xiaomi and Haier take the lead
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