14 DAY TRIAL // If only success could be infectious. If only code quality, performance, security, usability, reliability, improved user experience could spread like a plague from one product to another. With over 60 million licenses sold worldwide in just a few months after release and the incontestable owner of the fastest selling operating system in history, Windows 7 has certainly raised the bar for Microsoft. But the Redmond company is little shy when it comes down to piggyback-riding on the latest version of the Windows client. Whether some of Windows 7’s success will rub off on new operating systems from Microsoft or not it still remains to be seen, but it is certainly obvious that the software giant is seven-izing a variety of products.
The most prominent future Microsoft platform to feature the magical 7 number is the upcoming evolution of Windows Mobile, which has been officially labeled as Windows Phone 7. In all fairness, the plan for the next version of Windows Mobile to include the number 7 was in place long before Windows 7 was a commercial hit. However, not the same can be said for other Microsoft operating system, especially from the company’s embedded business.
Shayna Begun, a program manager in the Vertical Industry and Embedded Windows (VIEW) team at Microsoft, explained that the relabeling of codename Quebec to Windows Embedded Standard 7 from Windows Embedded Standard 2011, was done precisely so that customers could understand the intimate connection between the embedded OS and Windows 7. Essentially, Windows Embedded Standard 7 is the componentized and embedded version of Windows 7.
“Windows 7 appears to be a great success. The OS is fast, stable and provides great features. The Windows Embedded team directly benefits from these features and enhancements especially for its future version of Windows Embedded Standard which is based on Windows 7. Think of it as a componentized and embedded version of Windows 7. Therefore, to make it clear, the name for this product will be Windows Embedded Standard 7,” stated Olivier Bloch, Microsoft Embedded technical evangelist.
But there are more Microsoft platforms which will also flaunt their proximity to Windows 7 by featuring new monikers. The next version of Windows Embedded CE has been relabeled to Windows Embedded Compact 7, and Microsoft Auto will be branded Windows Embedded Automotive 7.
“One of the other products of the Embedded group, so far known as Windows Embedded CE (which is a componentized, real time, embedded OS built from the ground up and running on multiple CPU architectures such as MIPS, SH, ARM and x86) will get a new major release and a new name soon. As the current version is version 6.0, obviously the next one will get the 7 number too and will be called Windows Embedded Compact 7,” Bloch added. “Last but not least, the next version of Microsoft Auto, the Embedded OS for building car infotainment systems (check this post for more info) and based on Windows Embedded CE today will be based on Windows Embedded Compact 7 and will be named Windows Embedded Automotive 7.”
