Microsoft is set to launch a version of Windows aimed at the emerging Internet of Things movement, uniting connected devices such as appliances, sensors, and wearables under the Windows brand of operating systems.
The move follows the recently announced Android Wear SDK from Google, which aims to link up wearable devices such as augmented reality glasses and smartwatches under Google’s rival operating system.
The ‘Windows for Devices’ software will run on “a whole new class of devices”, according to a Microsoft website that was briefly live but has now been pulled down.
The website, www.windowsondevices.com, is now unavailable but sources such as WPcentral and Engadget report that it included example content such as a giant toy piano, a coffee cup and various robotic experiments.
Windows on Devices could also target hobbyists, educators and inventors who experiment with building their own robots and similar devices.
Windows on Devices interlinks with Intel’s recent push into the internet of things, with the x86 Quark SoC and Galileo/MinnowBoard single-board computers (SBC). As the internet of things finally threatens to take off, this could be a very savvy move for Microsoft.
The website also says that there will be a “life-size piano” at the Build conference, though it doesn’t say what the piano will do (presumably it’s been outfitted with servos and other robotics to enable remote/automated playing).
The website explicitly calls out the Intel Galileo single-board computer, which is powered by the x86 Quark SoC, but it sounds like the Windows on Devices SDK might be able to target other hardware as well.
Microsoft is also widely expected to launch Windows Phone 8.1 at its annual Build conference, scheduled to begin this week.