On Thursday, Microsoft unveiled plans to launch a mobile software platform called Windows Embedded Handheld. The new platform would become the third mobile operating system in the Microsoft portfolio.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the Windows Embedded Handheld platform focuses on “extending Windows and the benefits of cloud computing to the world of specialized devices.” He outlined Microsoft’s commitment to the future of enterprise handheld devices at the New York launch event for the Motorola ES400, an enterprise digital assistant.
“These releases will provide proven management and security functionality, while giving customers confidence that investments in handheld enterprise devices and line-of-business applications will be protected over time by an extended support life cycle,” Ballmer said.
An Endless Enterprise Future
Microsoft pointed to an endless future for enterprise handheld devices. VDC Research estimates there were 2.3 million device shipments in 2009 and predicts this number to exceed 4.3 million by 2014. The existing Windows Embedded CE and Windows Mobile platforms accounted for 87 percent of these 2009 shipments.
Windows Embedded Handheld will focus on line-of-business (LOB) scenarios and work to boost productivity of the mobile enterprise workforce by making way for users to capture, access and act on business-critical information where and when they need it. But Michael Disabato, managing vice president for the network and telecom group at Gartner, is skeptical.
“Any operating system that claims to make businesses more productive will get me to fall on the floor laughing. Operating systems don’t make businesses productive, people do,” Disabato said. “I’ve been on the toys-to-tools kick since the mid-90s. When you look at the iPad, you can make a tool out of it. You can also make a tool out of the iPhone and probably a RIM device. You can do that with Microsoft, too, except that Microsoft is so far behind everyone else.”
Is Microsoft…