Some time recently, Microsoft quietly removed its Delve application for Windows 10 inside the Microsoft Store.

I would not mean the Delve for Windows 10 Mobile (which might not be news, given Microsoft's depart its mobile OS). I'm mentioning the version for Windows 10 on PCs -- which is actually surprising, given Delve was just one of Microsoft's most celebrated Windows 10 applications.

Delve, which Microsoft officials described back in 2014 as a "Flipboard for Office 365," was can be a new kind search and presentation application. It has been built applying the Office Graph (now termed as the Microsoft Graph).

I'm not sure exactly when Microsoft removed the Office Delve app for Windows 10 from Store, but @GlynPress alerted me of this a week ago.

An e-mail on the Delve support page says:

"The Office Delve for Windows 10 app isn't any longer supported features been aloof from the Windows Store. Our recommendation is that you use the Web sort of Delve instead....

"If you have now the Office Delve for Windows 10 app placed on your device, you may still use it, however the app may shut down in the future."

Specialists Microsoft when and why the brand decided to drop Delve. I was no response upon the "when." However, the rest of the answer, fed to me via a spokesperson, weren't what I expected; this is more interesting:

"Delve is many personalized search and discovery experiences run by the Microsoft Graph, who has provided a single for how search results surface across Office and Windows. Our vision for workplace search would be that it is accessible no matter where you are working, personalized and applicable to you, and that it surfaces originates from across Microsoft 365.

"As we announced at Ignite, we still climb enhance the search and discovery experiences across Microsoft 365. As part of this, we're focusing our efforts about the Windows taskbar search experience inclusive of content the ones inside your organization, and content within your local device, simply just the rich web search experience including Delve together with other search bars within Office 365."

Aha. So this is more about a consolidation and rethinking of search inside Windows and Office 365 than whatever else ..

At Ignite, company officials explained that contrary to expecting users to consult with a particular site uncover information pertinent to their business requests, Microsoft is attempting to bring search to from where the users are. Whether inside SharePoint, Bing (via Bing for Business) or Windows 10, Microsoft wants to make search more consistently and intuitively, officials said.

Across the Windows front, it appears that Microsoft is exploring new approaches to make search more front-and center in Windows 10. An innovative, immersive search experience, very similar to Apple's macOS Spotlight, will most likely testable soon by Windows Insiders. Users will search for files, pictures, settings, apps plus more ! via a search engine that will be independent through the current Cortana search engine in Windows 10.

I'm curious what Microsoft's new consolidated Microsoft 365 search experience suggests to Cortana's future evolution. So far, we don't have clues with that....