Ita4a4s just like Microsoft to have a perfectly good tablet solution and do nothing with it.
The company yesterday released Windows Embedded Compact 7 &8212' the successor to Windows CE for consumer electronics &8212' to the public as a free 180-day trial. Microsoft says that it will be used to power devices like phones (Windows Phone 7 is based on Windows CE), GPS units, and in-car computers. It could also potentially be used for tablets in the future, but Microsoft has shown little interest in that possibility so far.
Instead, Microsoft is still trying to pursue Windows 7 as a legitimate tablet operating system, which has wrought failed devices like HPa4a4s Slate. Rumors are also floating around that the company will be positioning Windows 8 as its flagship tablet offering. But Windows 8 wona4a4t be released until 2012 at the earliest, which leaves this year completely open for competitors like Google, RIM, and HP to grab a slice of the tablet market from Apple.
If Microsoft wants to compete in the tablet arena and take on the iPad, it needs a powerful-yet-lightweight mobile operating system. Windows Embedded Compact 7 is clearly its best option. So why is the company once again trying to convince us that a desktop operating system like Windows 8 can magically turn into a tablet-optimized platform
Now Microsoft could conceivably have some master plan in mind for Windows 8 on tablets. But history doesna4a4t inspire much hope. The company tried to convince us that Windows XP was a tablet operating system for years, and when that failed it ignored the tablet market altogether. Microsoft&'s many failures with bringing Windows to tablets proved that desktop interfaces are meant for the keyboard and mouse, not multitouch interaction.
Given that Windows Phone 7 is based on Windows CEa4a4s kernel (the heart of every operating system), Microsoft should have wised up and pursued the same strategy for tablets. Windows Phone 7 impressed me with its speed and gorgeous interface, and therea4a4s no reason why Microsoft cana4a4t translate that experience to tablets. Rumors say that it may try to place similar slick design elements atop Windows 8 for tablets, but if thata4a4s the case, why burden tablets with a full-blown desktop OS
Windows Embedded Compact 7 is the closest thing Microsoft has to Applea4a4s iOS, which powers the iPad, and Googlea4a4s Android mobile OS. The OS brings with it support for Adobe Flash 10.1, Microsoft Silverlight, and a new mobile version of Internet 8, among other improvements over Windows CE. Basically, it seems perfectly positioned to power tablets.
Unfortunately for us, the closest Microsoft has gotten to bringing the OS to tablets was via a prototype at Computex last year. Asus had also mentioned that it intended to use Windows Embedded Compact 7 in a tablet last year, but it later chose to go with Android. Since then, wea4a4ve heard little about other manufacturers volunteering to use the OS in their tablets.
Wea4a4re only a few hours away from the iPad 2a4a4s announcement, and ita4a4s becoming increasingly clear that Microsoft is the only company among its peers without a clear tablet strategy. RIM, a traditionally enterprise-focused company that would likely have trouble finding a4Asexya4 in the dictionary, managed to blow me away with its slick BlackBerry PlayBook. Even HP has managed to deliver something compelling with its WebOS-powered TouchPad.
Ia4a4m not sure what it will take for Microsoft to realize that nobody wants to run Windows 7 or Windows 8 on a tablet. But the company will likely realize soon that it will need to come up with some sort of solid tablet strategy. And when it does, it will become abundantly clear that Windows Embedded Compact 7 is its best option to take on the iPad.
Via ZDNet, Engadget
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Companies: Apple, Google, HP, Microsoft, RIM
Companies: Apple, Google, HP, Microsoft, RIM
Devindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.
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