Windows Embedded Technology Roadmap

The Windows Embedded product line appears to be moving toward integrated device platforms and away from componentized embedded OSs. Microsoft’s Windows Embedded products deliver platform software and services for devices such as point-of-sale terminals and industrial robots that are customized for specific business processes. Building devices with Windows Embedded products can simplify programming and integration with systems on the Microsoft platform. The current technology roadmap suggests that more development effort will go to platforms for specific types of devices and to software and online services for Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios with very small footprint devices.

This report covers Windows Embedded device software and services and the related Windows Storage Server product. Not all of Microsoft’s products for specialized devices are covered in this report. Windows Phone, an OS for mobile phones, is covered in the Directions on Microsoft Enterprise Software Roadmap. The Windows Embedded unit also supplies licensing options for some common Microsoft software (including Windows, Windows Server, and SQL Server) to manufacturers that redistribute the software with devices. These products are technically identical to those sold through volume licensing and other channels, and their technology roadmaps appear in the Enterprise Software Roadmap.