Windows 8 (above) will come in an embedded version, too
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Now, two embedded versions have been announced, both with temporary v.Next monikers. Windows Embedded Enterprise v.Next, "providing full Windows application compatibility and the power of Microsofts premium operating systems on embedded devices," will be available for use a quarter after Windows 8 is generally available for PCs, according to the company.

Apparently, that version will be similar to Microsoft's present Windows Embedded Enterprise products -- simply versions of the company's desktop operating systems that come with different licensing terms, support details, and pricing. But, the company adds, a fully customizable version of Windows 8 will also be available to embedded developers.

"Windows Embedded Standard v.Next -- which will deliver the power, familiarity and reliability of the Windows operating system in a highly customizable and componentized form -- will undergo a community technology preview for developers during the first quarter of 2012. General availability of Windows Embedded Standard v.Next will occur three quarters after Windows 8 is generally available for PCs," Microsoft said in a statement.

The new embedded operating system "will deliver technologies for customized, rich user interfaces, enhanced always-on connectivity, and all of the management and security functionality provided by Windows 8." And Windows Embedded Standard v. Next will support the ARM architecture, Microsoft added.

Microsoft also confirmed that its Windows CE-based Windows Embedded Compact 7 won't be left to languish in the wake of an ARM-powered Windows 8. Indeed, it will "continue to provide a proven, real-time operating system and a full tools suite for a streamlined development experience on small-footprint, specialized devices," the company stated.

Kevin Dallas, the company's general manager of Windows Embedded, stated, "Windows Embedded Compact and Windows Embedded Standard represent Microsofts platforms for intelligent systems. We need Windows Embedded Standard v.Next to take the lead around application-rich devices, and Windows Embedded Compact v.Next to take the lead around real-time, small form-factor devices. Both are critical to the success of our partners and enterprise customers building intelligent systems."

In the video embedded above, Dallas appears to concede that Microsoft's efforts have sometimes been disjointed in the past, but promises customers will no longer have to figure out which nodes within the company they should work with. "From a corporate committment perspective, we're evolving ... we're executing as one Microsoft, he says."

According to Dallas, Windows Embedded Compact v.Next will be released in the second half of 2012, introducing support for Visual Studio 2010. This jibes with information provided Oct. 26 at the ARM TechCon show by Microsoft's Dan Javnozon, group product manager for the Windows Embedded marketing group: Compact v.Next will include an updated kernel, faster file system, boosted real-time capabilities, and "broader hardware support," EETimes writer Rick Merritt quoted him as saying.

Microsoft's Dan Javnozon announcing Windows Embedded Compact 7 updates
Source: EE Times
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Jonathan Angel can be reached at jonathan.angel@ziffdavisenterprise.com and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense.

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