Must Read: Google Glass jailbreak: Let the evil commence

Topic: Windows

Microsoft makes first of its Windows Embedded 8 releases generally available

Summary: Microsoft's Windows Embedded 8 Standard and Pro versions of its embedded operating system are available for OEMs to download.

Mary Jo Foley

By for All About Microsoft |

Back in November 2012, Microsoft officials said the first of its Windows Embedded 8 offerings would be available in March. Right on schedule, on March 20, the two primary SKUs of Microsoft's latest embedded Windows product family were made available for download.

winembeddedroadmap

Windows Embedded 8 is a componentized version of Windows 8 with additional technologies that adapt Windows for use in and on specialized devices.

Windows Embedded 8 Standard and Windows Embedded 8 Pro are available immediately for OEMs interested in building devices and systems with Windows 8 inside. The releases will be available on http://www.getwindowsembedded8.com. Windows Embedded 8 Standard also is available from Microsoft's Download Center.

Another of the Windows Embedded 8 family members -- Windows Embedded 8 Industry, which is for retail point-of-service (POS) and other manufacturing and healthcare systems -- will be available the week of April 1.

There's no additional availability information being shared today on the other Windows Embedded 8 SKUs, including the Windows Embedded 8 Handheld operating system or the Windows Embedded 8 Automotive release. In January, Microsoft officials said to expect the first ruggedized handheld phones running this operating system to be in the market in late 2013 or early 2014. The Windows Embedded 8 Handheld software development kit (SDK) will be out "later this year."

Microsoft announced five initial partners -- Motorola Solutions, Intermec, Honeywell, Ingenico and Bluebird -- are building ruggedized phones using Embedded 8 Handheld.

Windows Embedded Compact 2013, the product that is the successor to Windows Embedded Compact 7, is due out in the second quarter of 2013, officials have said.

 

Topics: Windows, Microsoft, Windows 8

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

Contact Disclosure

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Talkback

31 comments
Log in or register to join the discussion

  • Microsoft Is Losing Their Empire

    Rather than Microsoft making a bunch of racket and blowing hot air, it would be wise for this multi-billion dollar empire to start delivering products which people desire, rather than imposing their software on the public. The days of Microsoft's manipulation of the market are starting to come to an end.
    zealaudio
    Reply 4 Votes

    • Riiiight ...

      ... because there aren't a number of alternative OS', hardware types, app platforms, ecosystems to choose from, right?

      Of Microsoft didn't deliver products that people 'desired', then the Kinect wouldn't have become the fastest selling device to date (until recently), Xbox wouldn't have sold more than any other game console for 15 months in a row, Windows 7 wouldn't have sold more than 800M copies, etc.
      bitcrazed
      Reply 8 Votes

      • I thought it was over 20 months?

        Not that it makes a huge amount of difference, but isn't XBox the best selling console for close to two years?
        ikissfutebol
        Reply 3 Votes

        • Do you mean USA or across the world?

          PS3 started shipping 12 months after XBox360 and yet overall world sales of the PS3 exceed those of the XBox. From what I understand, PS3 sales continue to meet or exceed those of the XBox.
          Restricted_access
          Reply 1 Vote

      • RE:

        "Microsoft Corp reported a dip in fiscal second-quarter profit on Thursday, as weaker sales of its Xbox game system in the holiday quarter offset a solid start for its new Windows 8 operating system."

        Sure pal.
        zealaudio
        Reply 2 Votes

        • Ooo. And Apple saw a dip in sales of iPods

          and even iPhones. Guess you're saying it's the end of Apple.

          And Google? Chromebooks off to a slow start. Goodbye, Google, we barely got to know you.

          Sorry, pal, but what you say really doesn't wash. But believe what you will as that's your perogative
          William Farrel
          Reply 5 Votes

          • RE:

            My original comment wasn't specifically related to Windows 8 Embedded, but to Windows 8 as a whole. The article snippet was just to prove a point that Xbox hasn't always been the big money maker that it was originally touted to be. The only thing Microsoft has going for it right now, is that people are locked into using their inferior operating system due to the availability of applications. This will start changing, hence, it's the beginning of the fall of the empire. I know this hurts the feelings of MS fanbois like you, but what can you do...
            zealaudio
            Reply 2 Votes

          • Oooh, AAPL went all the way down to $419

            from a 52 week high of $705 ( source: http://goo.gl/9QU32 ) wiping out USD $269 Billion dollars in market cap, and it doesn't register on crazy delusional Apple fanbois and zealots like you? But of course that means nothing, since it is AAPL and Apple can do no wrong?

            Except Microsoft Surface Pro running full blown Windows 8 Pro x64, runs around the latest 4th gen iPad, like a Kawasaki 600cc superbike would around a Fisher Price tricycle.

            The benchmarks are irrefutable:
            http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57568209-75/microsoft-surface-pro-shows-off-its-inner-ultrabook/

            "You might as well compare Guitar Hero with a Gibson Les Paul."

            Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57567723-37/dueling-disks-apples-128gb-response-to-surface-pro/

            ~~~~~~~~
            Stupid is as stupid does.
            ~ Forrest Gump

            Build a system that even a fool can use, and only a fool will want to use it.
            ~ Shaw's Principle

            Who would have thought, the reality distortion field is written in Javascript.
            ~ Deceptive Apple buries court-ordered apology with JavaScript

            Google that!
            WinTard
            Reply 3 Votes

          • Hence, it's the beginning of the fall of the empire? This sentence

            says it all -

            "is that people are locked into using their inferior operating system due to the availability of applications"

            You started from a negatively biased (incorrect reasoning) to go on and state something that just isn't true. You draw all the wrong conclusions as you don't look at things from an honest perspective, instead coming to your conclusions from a starting point of biased data.

            That's why I said what I did.

            I know this hurts the feelings of ant-MS fanbois like you, but what can you do..
            William Farrel
            Reply Vote

          • RE:

            Microsoft is never going to be the company it was throughout the 90's. I wouldn't call what I said incorrect reasoning, it's just that you are biased and have tunnel vision, showing an affinity for Microsoft products for whatever reason. It's typical Fanboi behavior. Go look at the data; it's all available.
            zealaudio
            Reply 2 Votes

          • XBox was ...

            ... famously not a financial success until long after its release.

            But the facts are there: Microsoft came from nowhere to #1 in console sales and, perhaps more importantly for the gaming and entertainment market, #1 in games sold per console, in less than 10 years, despite ferocious competition, hardware failures, DOJ investigations and oversight, etc.

            Claiming that Microsoft only sells stuff because it forces us all to buy their products as there are no alternatives is, frankly, just stupid.
            bitcrazed
            Reply Vote

          • RE:

            And you're stupid for not reading people's comments before making stupid responses, because in this case, I wasn't specifically referring to Xbox.
            zealaudio
            Reply 1 Vote

    • great

      and as there is already a solution to manage the embedded OS in system center, i'm sure this is going to rock!
      dugbug11
      Reply 2 Votes

    • maybe you should know better

      what impact the embedded OS makes and that how MS has been doing in this market for years now..before you let the crap come out of your hole
      dugbug11
      Reply 3 Votes

      • such as

        barcode readers
        In truck proof of delivery, routing, destination fencing, manifest checking plus manyother actions
        CNC machine tool scheduling
        shop floor data collection
        directed picking
        Red Bull racing track side data display

        Just some of the uses for Win embedded attached to teh systems my group manage
        sonnet37
        Reply 1 Vote

    • Nice try, zealaudio

      But who's really buying your rhetoric?

      Not many, that much is certain.
      William Farrel
      Reply 3 Votes

      • RE:

        Go back to your hole, MS troll.
        zealaudio
        Reply 2 Votes

  • Windows Embedded 8 releases generally available

    Kudos Microsoft. Can't wait to see the line of great products that will be coming out with Microsoft Windows Embedded 8 in them.
    Loverock-Davidson
    Reply 7 Votes

    • Loverock-Davidson...their is only three on line

      Not much of a showing......just another Microsoft FAIL
      Over and Out
      Reply 1 Vote

      • Please 'exit' from the Zdnet forums.

        The time is Right... your are just another troll with nothing meaningful to say.
        Owlll1net
        Reply 9 Votes
CNET Join | Log In | Privacy | Cookies Close