Windows 10 can set up a PC using your Cortana voice assistant

Cortana now does some of the heavy lifting during installations.

Windows installations have come a long way over a few decades. It used to be that you had to hand-hold the system, but it's increasingly automatic -- you can even nuke an existing install with relative ease. And now, you don't even need to touch the keyboard for certain manually-guided steps. As The Verge has noticed, the Windows 10 Creators Update brings Microsoft's Cortana assistant into the setup process. You can tell Windows to connect to your WiFi network, choose keyboard options and sign into your Microsoft Account with little to no typing.

This will only be of limited use if you have a complex configuration, of course, and you can take the hands-on approach if you'd rather not talk to an AI helper. Still, this could be an important step toward simplifying computers, making them a little less intimidating to newcomers. It should be helpful to more experienced users, too. You'll have to sit down in front of your computer at some point, but this lets you wander across the room while accomplishing some important tasks.