> Most non-coding AI tools are meant for general consumers who normally don't care if they have to do a new search each session + the hacky memory features try to tackle this over the long term.

They do care. The vendors don't. Or rather, they're not prioritizing it.

Technically, two of the major players own office suite software, into which they integrate AI, and it's kinda starting to become usable for something. But it is still a bit ridiculous that there's nothing in mainstream tools themselves between single-shot document output and full Computer Use in Claude Desktop. Multi-document edit wouldn't be that hard to make as an extension of "canvas" mode in these tools.

> Like most apps still work on documents/data? Not sure what you meant there

I mentioned mobile. Most apps don't work on data documents, they work in private databases, and collaborate with the OS to keep you from accessing your data directly.

It is absolutely a philosophical change. The core unit of computer use in desktop era was a file. Data belonged in files, which were owned by users. Applications were used to operate on those files. In the mobile era, the core unit of computing is an app, which owns the data, and may or may not graciously let other apps access a partial, non-canonical copy by means of "Share" menu.