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Leak reveals Parallels Desktop 11 will support Windows 10's Cortana across OS X

The next version of Parallels' Desktop for Mac virtualization software will improve its Windows 10 support, enabling Cortana voice commands at any time — as long as Windows is still running in the background, according to a leaked product page.

Both Windows 10 and Cortana are already supported in Desktop 10, but the latter won't work unless Windows is the foreground application, Neowin noted. With Desktop 11, people should be able to say "Hey Cortana" at any point while using OS X and get a response.

The product page also mentions features like compatibility with OS X El Capitan, speed boosts up to 50 percent, and a Travel Mode that can kill some services to extend battery life on a laptop. Coherence Mode improvements will include a quick-toggle button, and the ability to view notifications through an OS X menu bar item.

The page is missing a release date, but since Microsoft is due to launch Windows 10 on July 29, Parallels may likewise be on the verge of shipping.

Cortana is Microsoft's answer to rival voice command systems from Apple and Google, handling similar functions like web searches and calendar appointments. Windows 10, however, will make Cortana the first such system on a popular desktop OS. Although Siri has existed on iOS since 2011, Apple has yet to migrate the technology to the Mac.