Is Windows CE dead?

Just read an article on the NY Times site "Can Microsoft make Windows for a small world?" the article focuses on Windows 7 (desktop o/s) - its also interesting that the author mentions "The company hardly mentions Windows CE anymore", does this mean that Windows CE is dead? - far from it, there are of course a number of fairly well known devices that run the Windows CE O/S (or to give it the full, current product name, "Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2"). Obvious devices running Windows CE are Windows Mobile [Windows Mobile 6.1 runs on the Windows CE 5.0 operating system kernel], Zune, Microsoft Roundtable (video conferencing), Ford Sync, and a large number of the worlds Portable Navigation devices!

The reality is that many devices running Windows CE are either headless (industrial control/automation), or boot and run a completely custom user experience, in which case the user doesn't know that the device is running on a Windows Embedded operating system, and in many cases isn't aware that their device even has an operating system on board.

Windows CE hasn't gone away, in fact we're working on the next release of the product right now...

- Mike

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 15, 2009
  Hi Mike, Windows Mobile from a consumer standpoint is living in the shadows.  It doesn’t nearly get all the hype and attention that the iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and now even the new Palm operating system receive.  Its market share is slipping and to be honest, it’s stagnant. From a developer perspective this is worrisome.  For all its faults and challenges, Windows Mobile I believe has a great deal of power and more potential.  But what it desperately needs though, is some focused love from Microsoft . Windows Mobile needs more attention than it has been getting over the years.  And Microsoft needs to get its complacent act together.  Or get used to losing developers, more market share, and having their lunch eaten. Developers and even normal folk have been complaining for a while now regarding Windows Mobile lack of App. store, poor GUI experience,and slow responsiveness of the o/s itself. To Microsoft: Shame on you! You have countless research people in your labs, tons of developers, and you have failed to improve the Windows Mobile GUI.  Instead Zune and the Surface technologies took the spotlight. The future is here and it’s mobile.  If Microsoft wants a place in it they need to move more quickly and support their developers better.  This is no time to be complacent and mediocre. Yet they remain silent.  Ignoring everyone.  Which is frustrating to the people that have invested time and money in supporting this platform. So I kindly ask you, show me why Windows Mobile still deserves to have developers care for it? Because it definitely doesn't look like Microsoft cares much for it.  And I'm actually one of the ones that do want it to succeed.   :/

• Anonymous
  January 15, 2009
  Sebastian. First off, thank you so much for your continued support. we totally understand where you're coming from and your frustrations. Frankly, we feel the same too. That said, you know that development cycles can be pretty long and making sure that we deliver the right thing for consumers, business folk and developers can be very challenging. Rest assured, we are working on it :) We never stop innovating. You will see something really soon that will give you back that sense of pride and affection for our technologies. We have also taken steps to ensure that you WILL be more successful when developing for our platform, monetarily and in fame. Please do continue to give us feedback, we do hear and listen from all of you. We want this to succeed more than anyone else :) thanks again!

• Anonymous
  January 15, 2009
  This the question the NY Times is asking in one of its article. Mike has been reacting on his blog about

• Anonymous
  January 15, 2009
  A list of devices actually shipping with CE: http://blogs.msdn.com/obloch/archive/2009/01/16/is-windows-ce-dead.aspx -Olivier

• Anonymous
  January 15, 2009
  Loke, thanks for posting your comment from "Windows Mobile Land" :O) Interestingly, Windows Mobile and Windows Embedded are in two different divisions within Microsoft - both report up to Robbie Bach who runs the Entertainment and Devices group (E&D). The Windows Embedded group (where I work) is focused on embedded devices and systems, anything from robots and medical devices, through to kiosks, ATMs, digital signage, sewing machines, industrial control/automation, and more - pretty much anything that isn't a desktop PC or Windows Mobile phone.

• Mike

• Anonymous
  January 15, 2009
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  January 16, 2009
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  January 16, 2009
  Mike Hall posted in his blog yesterday an article from the NY Times, “Can Microsoft make Windows for

• Anonymous
  January 18, 2009
  Taking about ignoring developer... I asked about Silverlight for WinCE in another topic and I got silence from Mike Hall. Regards, Alex PS: "... I suppose that hearing no news from ms does not mean that there are no news... simply that they will be big news.." I would like to think the same, but the changes that came from CE 6.0 were not very significant, considering the current demands for being innovative.

• Anonymous
  January 18, 2009
  ahhh, and the almost null activity in the WinCE team blog makes think that "WinCE is dead".

• Anonymous
  January 19, 2009
  Sebastian: Perhaps this rumour is close to what you're wanting from MS -> http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/01/19/microsofts-skybox-sync-service-set-for-a-february-unveiling-ne/ And also see this project here -> http://www.getgecko.org There's also Handandgo.com, which has been around for years and has been an mobile device app store that sells not software not just for WinMo but other mobile OSes too. I don't think IE Mobile is dead (yet), however I do agree with you that these browser updates should be downloadable/installable for people with existing phones without having to get new devices. That said, for some phones a few device manufacturers have been providing official ROM updates for their phones. The other thing to remember though is that mobile phones have traditionally had short life-spans. Usually as soon as a 12-24 month contract is up, people will "upgrade" to a new phone. By that time there is usually new devices on the market hawking "awesome" new features etc including a new version of an OS.

• Anonymous
  January 20, 2009
  The whole "trust us, we're working on it; we can't say anything until [release|TechEd|whatever]" is the root of this issue: any conversation between CE people and developers has become one-way marketing. Even blogs are just teasing instead of usable stuff. (We used this beta technology with one customer, good luck you ever even playing with it... no info on even how you could; etc.) The death of MEDC follows this trend. Computing power is so cheap the only reason people go Windows CE over Standard is the licensing costs. Linux being free will slowly eat this up as hardware vendors get behind user-friendly development tools. Meanwhile, everyone hates on Windows Mobile, mostly because handset makers are responsible for the UI. That and IE 6 (almost 8 yrs old) is supposed to be exciting. Ranting over, I do see how it would be hard to distribute betas of a fully configurable OS; however, maybe it's time to start w/ VM's?

• Anonymous
  January 21, 2009
  I think the alleged lower visibility of Windows CE comes from it being included in a lot of "I don't care how it works as long as it does" products.  I don't know whether my Microwave oven, cable tuner, or  remote control contain any Windows CE, Java, or other embedded products and I can't say that I've spent much time pondering or trying to figure it out. These devices typically have interfaces for performing what ever their function is and nothing more. There's no Help->About menu on my local ATM that will give me such insight. And that is all perfectly fine.  I don't shop for my consumer products according to what embedded OS they use. The customers of the CE OS would be the developers and not the end users. From looking through windowsfordevices.com I see that there are a lot of products that contain CE but no branding from Microsoft.  This is something I think the NY Times writer may have overlooked.