Windows IoT

Windows Embedded 8 showing "Hotel Systems" panel,Metro-styleapp
Developer	Microsoft
OS family	Microsoft Windows
Source model	Closed-source Source-available (throughShared Source Initiative)
Kernel type	Hybrid kernel
License	Commercialproprietary software
Official website	windows.com/iot
Support status
IoT: Mainstream support until January 12, 2027 and extended support until January 13, 2032[1] Embedded: All editions out of extended support.[2]

Windows IoT, short forWindows Internet of Things and formerly known asWindows Embedded, is a family ofoperating systems fromMicrosoft designed for use inembedded systems. Microsoft has three different subfamilies of operating systems for embedded devices targeting a wide market, ranging from small-footprint,real-time devices topoint of sale (POS) devices likekiosks. Windows Embedded operating systems are available tooriginal equipment manufacturers (OEMs), who make it available to end users preloaded with their hardware, in addition to volume license customers in some cases.

In April 2018, Microsoft releasedAzure Sphere, another operating system designed for IoT applications running on theLinux kernel.

Microsoft rebranded "Windows Embedded" to "WindowsIoT" starting with the release of embedded editions of Windows 10.

Windows IoT Enterprise is a binary equivalent version ofWindows 10 and11 Enterprise designed for use in embedded applications. It replaces both Embedded Industry and Embedded Standard, as well as Embedded FES (known simply as "Windows Embedded" since Windows 8/8.1). It functions exactly the same, even including all of its components and features, but is licensed exclusively for use in embedded devices.^[3] Plain unlabeled, Retail/Thin Client, Tablet, and Small TabletSKUs are available, again differing only in licensing.

While remaining identical to their non-IoT counterparts, the later versions added a minor change that allows the use of smaller storage devices, with the possibility of more changes being made in the future.^[4][5] In addition, starting with the LTSC edition of version 21H2, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC will gain an extra five years of support compared to Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC.^[6]

Windows 10 IoT Mobile, also known asWindows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise, is a binary equivalent ofWindows 10 Mobile Enterprise that functions exactly the same, except that it is licensed for IoT applications. It is unsupported as of January 14, 2020.^[7][8]

Windows 10 IoT Core is a cut-down version of Windows 10 that is considered by some to be the successor toWindows Embedded Compact, however it maintains very little compatibility with it. Optimized for smaller and lower-cost industry devices, it is also provided free of charge for use in devices like theRaspberry Pi for hobbyist use.

Windows 10 IoT Core Pro provides the ability to defer and control updates and is licensed only via distributors; it is otherwise identical to the normal IoT Core edition.

Windows Server IoT 2019 is a full, binary equivalent version^[9] ofWindows Server 2019, intended to aggregate data from many 'things'.^[10] Like the IoT Enterprise variants, it remains identical in behavior to its regularly licensed counterpart, but differs only in licensing terms. It also is offered in both LTSC and SAC options.

Windows Embedded Compact (previously known asWindows Embedded CE orWindows CE)^[11] is the variant of Windows Embedded for very small computers andembedded systems, includingconsumer electronics devices likeset-top boxes and video game consoles. Windows Embedded Compact is a modular real-time operating system with a specialized kernel that can run in under 1 MB of memory. It comes with thePlatform Builder tool that can be used to add modules to the installation image to create a custom installation, depending on the device used. Windows Embedded Compact is available forARM,MIPS,SuperH andx86 processor architectures.^[12]

Microsoft made available a specialized variant of Windows Embedded Compact, known asWindows Mobile, for use in mobile phones. It is a customized image of Windows Embedded Compact along with specialized modules for use in Mobile phones.Windows Mobile was available in four editions:Windows Mobile Classic (forPocket PC),Windows Mobile Standard (forsmartphones) andWindows Mobile Professional (forPDA/Pocket PC Phone Edition) andWindows Mobile for Automotive (for communication/entertainment/information systems used in automobiles). Modified variants of Windows Mobile were used forPortable Media Centers. In 2010,Windows Mobile was replaced byWindows Phone 7, which was also based on Windows Embedded Compact, but was not compatible with any previous products.

Windows Embedded Compact 2013^[13] is areal-time operating system which runs on ARM, x86, SH, and derivatives of those architectures. It included.NET Framework, UI framework, and various open source drivers and services as 'modules'.^[14]

Windows Embedded Standard is the brand of Windows Embedded operating systems designed to provide enterprises and device manufacturers the freedom to choose which capabilities will be part of their industry devices and intelligent system solutions,^[buzzword] intended to build ATMs and devices for the healthcare and manufacturing industries, creating industry-specific devices. This brand consists ofWindows NT 4.0 Embedded, Windows 2000 Embedded,Windows XP Embedded, Windows Embedded Standard 2009 (WES09), Windows Embedded Standard 7 (WES7, known as Windows Embedded Standard 2011 prior to release), and Windows Embedded 8 Standard. It provides the fullWin32 API.^[12] Windows Embedded Standard 2009 includesSilverlight,.NET Framework 3.5,Internet Explorer 7,Windows Media Player 11,RDP 6.1,Network Access Protection,Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and support for being managed byWindows Server Update Services andSystem Center Configuration Manager.^[15]

Windows Embedded Standard 7 is based onWindows 7 and was previously codenamed Windows Embedded 'Quebec'.^[16] Windows Embedded Standard 7 includes Windows Vista and Windows 7 features^[17] such asAero,SuperFetch,ReadyBoost,Windows Firewall,Windows Defender,address space layout randomization,Windows Presentation Foundation,Silverlight 2,Windows Media Center among several other packages. It is available inIA-32 andx64 variants and was released in 2010. It has a larger minimum footprint (~300 MB) compared to 40 MB of XPe and also requiresproduct activation.^[17] Windows Embedded Standard 7 was released on April 27, 2010.^[18] Windows Embedded 8 Standard was released on March 20, 2013.^[19][20]IE11 for this edition ofWindows 8 was released in April 2019, with support forIE10 ending on January 31, 2020.^{[21][22][23][24]}

Windows For Embedded Systems is a brand of Windows Embedded that consists of binary identical variants of the editions as are available in retail and function exactly the same as their regular counterparts, but licensed exclusively for use in embedded devices.^[25] This brand consists of binary equivalent versions ofWindows for Workgroups 3.11,Windows 95,98,Windows NT 4.0 Workstation,Windows 2000 Professional,Windows Me,Windows XP Professional,Windows Vista Business and Ultimate,Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate,Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise, andWindows 8.1 Pro and Enterprise.

Originally, these editions simply hadEmbedded tacked onto the end of theSKU name until sometime around the release ofWindows XP when the naming scheme changed toFor Embedded Systems (FES). Examples of this former approach include Windows for Workgroups 3.11 Embedded, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation Embedded, Windows 2000 Professional Embedded and Windows Me Embedded. Microsoft changed the moniker for FES products again starting with someWindows 8/8.1 based SKUs, simply labeling them asWindows Embedded before the Windows version and edition. Two examples of this are Windows Embedded 8 Pro and Windows Embedded 8.1 Enterprise.^[3]

Windows Embedded Server FES products are binary identical to that of regular Windows Server versions but licensed for embedded use, similar to Windows Embedded FES. This subseries include Windows Server, Windows Home Server, SQL Server, Storage Server, DPM Server, ISA Server, UAG Server, TMG Server, Unified Data Storage Server, etc. of various years, including Windows 2000 Server, Server 2003, Server 2003 R2, Servers 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, Server 2008, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, Server 2012 R2, etc.

Windows Embedded Industry is the brand of Windows Embedded operating systems for industry devices and once only for point of sale systems. This brand was originally limited to theWindows Embedded for Point of Service operating system released in 2006, which is based onWindows XP with SP2.^[11] Since, Microsoft has released an updated version of Windows Embedded for Point of Service named Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, this time based on Windows XP with SP3. In 2011 Windows Embedded 7 POSReady based on Windows 7 SP1 was released, which succeeded POSReady 2009. Microsoft has since changed the name of this product from "Windows Embedded POSReady" to "Windows Embedded Industry". Microsoft released Windows Embedded 8 Industry in April 2013, followed by 8.1 Industry in October 2013.

Windows Embedded NAVReady, also known as Navigation Ready, is a plug-in component for Windows CE 5.0. It is intended to be useful for building portable handheld navigation devices.

Windows Embedded Automotive, formerly Microsoft Auto, Windows CE for Automotive, Windows Automotive, and Windows Mobile for Automotive, is an embedded operating system based on Windows CE for use on computer systems in automobiles. The latest release, Windows Embedded Automotive 7 was announced on October 19, 2010.^[26][27]

On January 10, 2011, Microsoft announced Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5. The operating system has compatibility withWindows Mobile 6.5 and is presented as an enterprise handheld device, targeting retailers, delivery companies, and other companies that rely on handheld computing. Windows Embedded Handheld retains backward compatibility with legacy Windows Mobile applications.^[28] Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld was released for manufacturing on April 23, 2014.^[29] Known simply as Windows Embedded 8 Handheld (WE8H)^[20] prior to release, it was designed as the next generation of Windows Embedded Handheld for line-of-business handheld devices and built onWindows Phone 8.1, which it also has compatibility with. Five Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld devices have been released; Manufactured by Bluebird,Honeywell andPanasonic as listed below.^[30]

• EclipseThreadX (previously Microsoft's Azure ThreadX, now donated as open source to theEclipse Foundation)

• Kan, Michael (November 14, 2012)."Microsoft updates roadmap for Windows Embedded, more releases to come".PC World.IDG. RetrievedJanuary 12, 2015.
• Foley, Mary Jo (March 20, 2013)."Windows Embedded 8 releases generally available".ZDNet. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2015.
• Valazco, Chris (February 25, 2014)."Panasonic's latest Toughpad has the strength, thickness of 10 smartphones (hands-on)".Engadget. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2015.

• Official website

• Microsoft Windows
• Embedded operating systems
• ARM operating systems
• X86-64 operating systems

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