Windows Embedded and Mobile Roadmap

To provide flexibility to developers building specialized devices, Microsoft offers different embeddable OSs and platforms. An embedded OS offers device developers the potential to build any device and to differentiate that device from others in the same category, at the cost of increased development and time to market. In contrast, embedded platforms target specific devices, such as point-of-service devices or smartphones, and shorten development and time to market but lessen the ability to differentiate devices. This large number of choices, combined with frequent name and brand changes, can make it hard to choose which OS or platform to use.

(For a graphical overview showing all the products on Microsoft’s embedded and mobile roadmap, see “Windows Embedded and Mobile Overview“. For other details, including life-cycle dates, see the chart “Windows Embedded OSs and Platforms“.)

Embedded Operating Systems

An embedded OS is a small-footprint, highly customized OS that can be used in a wide range of devices, such as industrial robots, TV set-top boxes, and portable devices built for an organization’s specialized data-collection applications.