Cortana May Soon Leap To Cars Dashboards To Battle Android Auto And CarPlay

Microsoft is one of the countless number of companies that is aiming to make an impact on the automotive market. Rather than go the route of Apple and create its own vehicle, or lend its hand to autonomous driving, the company wants Cortana infused into our future vehicles.

It's hard to consider this revelation too surprising, as it almost seems like an inevitable move on Microsoft's part. This isn't a rumor, either, but instead is something confirmed by Samuel Shen, the chief operating officer of Microsoft's Asia-Pacific Research and Development Group, during the TechDays Taiwan conference in Taipei.

Cortana has been a major focal-point of Microsoft's for Windows 10

"We have not launched similar products due to the high cost" says Shen, highlighting a reality that is quickly changing. While the possibilities with Cortana in the car are virtually endless, an obvious feature would be a tie-in with the GPS. It's also noted that Microsoft is considering windscreen options, so that Cortana could highlight things around the vehicle, including upcoming restaurants, without the driver having to take their eyes off of the road.

Microsoft's attempt to bring Cortana to our autos introduces it to another major challenge. On the smartphone side, the company has struggled to gain market share as Google's Android and Apple's iOS simply dominate. The same could play out for autos, as well, as Google has its Android Auto and Apple, its CarPlay - both of which have already garnered quite a bit of industry support. Just this past summer, we learned that Volkswagen will be supporting both of those technologies, and the latest Honda Accord does as well.

Microsoft is once again facing an uphill battle, but it will be very interesting to see how the company manages to differentiate itself.