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Ballmer has reportedly derided Google for offering two different versions of Linux for mobile devices -- Android and the lighter-weight Chrome. Our sister publication eWEEK quoted him as saying last month, "I don't really understand why Google has two different operating systems."
Actually, Windows Embedded Handheld itself appears to be two different operating systems: Windows Embedded Senior Product Manager David Wurster was reported by eWEEK as saying the 2011 version, Windows Embedded Handheld 7, will feature a "different set of developer tools and experiences" from this year's version.
In any case, the announcement of Windows Embedded Handheld -- said to be due "in the next six months" -- brings to more than half a dozen the number of Microsoft OSes that are applicable to mobile devices. They include the following:
In our article "10 Ways Windows can succeed in today's tablet arena", which appeared at the beginning of this month before Microsoft's latest OS release, we wrote:
The company's current OS proliferation is confusing to OEMs, analysts, journalists, and customers alike. Microsoft's premier tablet operating system, for those who need x86 Windows applications compatibility, should be marketed as Windows 7, with the company's own tablet interface. Pure, simple, and no confusion.Windows 7 as a tablet OS
For ARM tablets -- where extended battery life, lower RAM and storage requirements, and other attributes provide an important market opportunity -- Microsoft again needs a single tablet OS. Instead, it has confused the market with multiple offerings and brands, all based on Windows CE under the skin.
We'll return to the issue of operating system confusion later in this story. But first, it's time to rise to Microsoft's defense on one important score.
Namely, it's constantly being repeated in the cut-and-paste world of the blogosphere, where most wisdom is "received," that Windows 7 is not an acceptable operating system for tablet devices. Often, things such as the size of on-screen icons, fonts, and title bars are criticized by writers who do not seem to understand how adjustable touch-capable Windows 7 is.
Certain OEMs have also sabotaged matters by shipping their tablets with Windows 7 Starter, which doesn't support touch, and then putting their own rudimentary touch interfaces and applications on top of it. That's a false economy, which, fortunately, Toshiba avoided with its newly announced Libretto W100 (right), which comes with Windows 7 Home Premium.
A newly available white paper from Microsoft, Windows 7 Engineering Guidance for Slate PCs, is primarily intended for OEMs, but is also essential reading for anyone who's uncertain about Windows 7's credentials. When a touchscreen is available to the Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate editions, the operating system detects the digitizer and automatically adjusts its settings to provide a better touch experience, the document explains.
As the white paper explains in an extensive table, Windows 7 supports a wide variety of gestures, including zooming, clicking, and panning. In addition, the Windows Photo Viewer, Media Center, Media Player, XPS Viewer, and other applications gain larger controls and modified behaviors on tablets, Microsoft says.
According to Microsoft, tablet manufacturers can build on Windows 7's native capabilities by using and customizing the following Windows assets:
Still confused?
As we noted earlier in this story, despite its many merits Windows 7 is far from being Microsoft's only tablet operating system. That fact is bringing about criticism from Redmond's friends and foes alike.
To name one example of "friendly fire," Windows IT Pro's Paul Thurott wrote today:
In a year in which Microsoft is transitioning from the lackluster Windows Mobile to the more promising Windows Phone 7, one might expect some form of cohesive mobile strategy from the software giant. Unfortunately, that's not what's happening. Microsoft has a slew of overlapping mobile products shipping this year, and it seems like a new mobile platform is introduced almost every week. What the heck is going on?On June 3 after the announcement of Windows Embedded Compact 7, veteran Microsoft watcher Mary-Jo Foley criticized Microsoft for its "meandering guidance" to tablet manufacturers. After the launch of Windows Embedded Handheld, she posted a table attempting to demystify Redmond's mobile offerings, adding:
Whats with the multiplying Microsoft mobile OS SKUs? Wouldnt just one or two choices result in less PC maker and customer confusion?
InfoWorld's Galen Gruman complained in a June 8 post, again predating the Windows Embedded Handheld launch, "Microsoft has four 'Windows' mobile options, none of which is compatible with the others." Undermining Redmond's robust defense of its tablet technology in Windows 7, he added the following:
My testing of Windows 7 on touchscreen PCs left me cold. The number of gestures supported is small, and most applications aren't designed for finger-based touch input. Simply put, running Windows and Windows apps via touch is a painful experience, no matter how great the tablet hardware itself may be.
