The only Cortana speaker eliminates Microsoft's digital assistant
Harman Kardon's Invoke speaker is preparing to receive an update on Wednesday in order to disable Microsoft's digital assistant called Cortana and convert it into a standard Bluetooth speaker.
The software giant once imagined a future filled with refrigerators, toasters and thermostats powered by its Cortana voice assistant, but it never worked.
The Invoke was the first and only speaker with Cortana to hit the market in 2017.
Harman Kardon is pushing an Invoke speaker update to remove Cortana, after Microsoft announced plans last year to shut down its digital assistant across multiple devices.
Harman Kardon recommends that users leave the Invoke speaker online overnight to get the update, which for any reason will not be available after June 30, 2021.
Please note, Harman Kardon says Cortana's service by Harman Kardon Invoke expires in the coming months regardless of whether or not you receive the update.
As the company notes, the decision to end support for Cortana came from Microsoft, not Harman Kardon, and said: Microsoft decided to end support for Cortana integration in the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker in January 2021.
Microsoft worked closely with Harman Kardon to create a device transition plan, which helps mitigate the impact of that transition on some customers, and Microsoft notes that few users participate in the productivity tasks Cortana focuses on.
The Cortana voice assistant also disappears from iOS and Android, and even on Microsoft's Surface headphones.
Microsoft originally had bigger plans for Cortana in 2016.
The software giant outlined its vision to bring its digital assistant to refrigerators, toasters and other IoT devices, but the digital assistant never succeeded.
Also, the GLAS Cortana thermostat is no longer supported by Microsoft's digital assistant.
Microsoft is now seeing Cortana's value in conversational AI and the company is trying to reposition Cortana as a skill that can be played anywhere rather than competing with Alexa or the Google Assistant.
Cortana is increasingly being used to improve Microsoft's enterprise-focused offerings, after the company disconnected it from Windows 10 search and silenced the digital assistant during the OS setup process.