{"id":5857,"date":"2020-07-31T18:36:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T18:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/blog\/microsoft-will-remove-cortana-from-harman-kardon-invoke-and-surface-headphones-in-2021\/"},"modified":"2020-07-31T18:36:00","modified_gmt":"2020-07-31T18:36:00","slug":"microsoft-will-remove-cortana-from-harman-kardon-invoke-and-surface-headphones-in-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/microsoft-will-remove-cortana-from-harman-kardon-invoke-and-surface-headphones-in-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft will remove Cortana from Harman Kardon Invoke and Surface Headphones in 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Microsoft will remove Cortana from Harman Kardon Invoke and Surface Headphones in 2021<\/h2>\n

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In February, Microsoft revealed that it would be slowly phasing out Cortana functionality in mobile and other devices, implying that the third-party Harman Kardon Invoke would be among them. On Friday, Microsoft clarified that these changes will occur in early 2021, including the Invoke\u2014but the company will offer gift cards of up to $50 to sweeten the deal.<\/p>\n

Microsoft said Friday that it is eliminating the third-party Cortana skills<\/a>\u2014Cortana plug-ins that could be used to ask for a Fitbit activity summary, for example\u2014by September 7. In January, 2021, the mobile Cortana app for iOS and Android will stop working.\u00a0 And in \u201cearly 2021,\u201d Microsoft says, the Cortana functionality for the Invoke will also cease to exist.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also one more, unexpected change to Microsoft\u2019s device integration. Microsoft said<\/a> it plans to remove most of the Cortana functions from the first-generation Surface headphones as well.<\/p>\n

Microsoft has publicly shifted Cortana from the general-purpose assistant she was when Windows 10 launched to a business-minded AI, or a \u201ctransformational AI-powered assistant experience,\u201d as Microsoft now puts it. Perhaps more importantly, Cortana is being repositioned not as an AI that powers Microsoft\u2019s Surface and other hardware, but as part of Microsoft\u2019s other services. \u201cMicrosoft is on a journey to bring Cortana to Microsoft 365 experiences to help you stay connected and productive\u2014efficiently and securely,\u201d the company explained it in one of its support documents<\/a> describing the new changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Cortana going away means for the Invoke<\/h2>\n

Andrew Shuman, the corporate vice president in charge of Cortana, told PCWorld in May that Invoke users mostly played music, rather than use it as the smart speaker Microsoft originally envisioned.\u00a0\u201cWith the Invoke, all we saw with any reliability was playing music,\u201d Shuman said. \u201cAnd honestly, it was \u2018play artist\u2019 or \u2018play genre\u2019 because people can\u2019t remember the right way to say a song title or an album name or any of these things.\u201d<\/p>\n

The changes to the Invoke will be made via a firmware update that will roll out around the end of January, 2021, Microsoft said. That update will remove the Cortana functionality, but will be designed to transition the Invoke from a \u201csmart\u201d to a \u201cdumb\u201d speaker\u2014leaving all of its capabilities intact, but connecting via Bluetooth instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Harman<\/a> Mark Hachman \/ IDG<\/small>
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The cool blue ring that signified that Cortana was on and listening will be one of the things Microsoft removes from the Invoke.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe\u00a0firmware update\u00a0will be delivered automatically to devices connected to WiFi within\u00a0six\u00a0months\u00a0of its release,\u201d Microsoft said, not specifying what would happen if the Invoke\u00a0wasn\u2019t<\/em> connected to Wi-Fi for six months. \u201cOnce the Invoke is updated,\u00a0Cortana will no longer be accessible on the device.\u201d The Invoke can be updated further via the Cortana Device Setup app on Windows 10.<\/p>\n

In any case, Microsoft said it would offer a $50 gift card to Invoke owners, with one catch: You must have triggered the Cortana functionality after July 31, 2019, and before Microsoft\u2019s announcement on Friday. If that\u2019s the case, you can visit the Invoke\/Cortana support page<\/a> and then apply for a gift card at the redemption site<\/a>. You\u2019ll need to supply the Invoke\u2019s MAC address, which is printed on the bottom of the unit.<\/p>\n