Microsoft gives assurance to customers that it will, indeed, deliver the modular version of Windows 7, as well as the next iteration of Windows CE. Olivier Bloch, Microsoft Embedded technical evangelist, made an attempt to dispel the confusion created by the Redmond company's Windows Embedded rebranding. During the TechEa EMEA 2008 conference, Bloch received feedback that criticized the company's decision to rename its Windows Embedded products.

“For what concerns Windows Embedded, here are the naming evolutions for the general Embedded products (not talking about the vertical solutions for POS and Navigation): Windows XP Embedded becomes Windows Embedded Standard; and Windows CE will become Windows Embedded Compact for the next release,” Bloch stated.

The two platforms will continue to be developed and marketed as separate products, despite sharing the Embedded label. But most importantly, the changing of the brands will not affect Microsoft's plans to continue delivering the two operating systems. “Windows CE will NOT die!” promised Bloch. “And neither will a modular version of the desktop OS (today based on XP and tomorrow based on Windows 7)."

At the end of October 2008, Microsoft has released Windows Embedded Standard 2009 to manufacturing , the successor of Windows XP Embedded. According to Bloch, the Windows Embedded Standard Toolkits will start being available at the end of this month. At the same time, Kevin Dallas, general manager for the Windows Embedded Business group, announced that the next iteration of Windows Embedded Standard would be based on Windows 7. Bloch underlined that Microsoft regarded Windows CE and Windows Embedded Standard 2009 as two complementary products.

“This renaming is definitively NOT about merging Windows CE and XP Embedded technologies. Windows Embedded Compact (will remain a modular low foot print real time embedded operating system based on an architecture running on a variety of CPUs, while Windows Embedded Standard will continue to be based on the Desktop version of Windows (actually Windows XP Pro, and in the future Windows 7). Applications running on Windows Embedded Compact will not be binary compatible with Windows Embedded Standard and reciprocally,” Bloch stated.

The 120-day Evaluation Edition of Windows Embedded Standard 2009 is available for download here.