Andy Lee of the Windows Mobile Division, says that tablet PCs are, and you won 't see those on his forthcoming OS. But that means big challenges for Microsoft 's programmers

Microsoft wants to run on a unified software ecosystem for both phones, PCs and other devices in between, tablets and e-readers move to the software, according to Andy Lees, the director of the Windows Mobile division.

An ecosystem in order to rule them all

In a speech at the Windows Partners Conference in Los Angeles, Lee outlined a number of important trends, which he said, the changes leading to: said "It starts right at the core of the devices themselves," he pointed to the Demonstrations by 8 runs on Windows system-on-a-chip (SOC) that PCs can mean different form factors.

Lee then suggested that it is not \ be "an ecosystem of computers and phones for an ecosystem [and] a tablet for you 'll all come together \ .." He said that this meant not to replace the PC: "Our strategy is that these new form factors in a single ecosystem and ecosystems is not new \ itself."

After Windows Mobile 7 on a tablet would "\ conflict with this strategy," he said. "We see a tablet as a kind of PC. We want people to be able to sort of things they expect on a PC on a tray \ do". This includes connecting to networks, with networking tools, the connection of USB drives, the pressure and the use of Office.

But that has triggered heated - and urgently - dicussion of what a "unified ecosystem" is, and how does it work on multiple devices that run incompatible software.

Longtime Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley suggests that Microsoft 'ecosystem "doesn' t necessarily" dependent population of software and hardware on a reference platform ", which means that every other organization is used. She says it will use "a broad term that can mean anything from the development environment into the distribution channels.

And, she adds, that mean a "Windows Device" doesn 't that the unit run "Windows" how to be seen on a PC. Windows Mobile is running a version of Windows Embedded Compact with "a film adaptation of Microsoft '. Xboxes actually run a significantly optimized version of Windows NT.

But, she notes, when Microsoft Windows (right), who got on the ARM architecture, it is perhaps it could run on Windows phones.

Foley 's to say contacts that isn' t happen for the next upgrade of Windows 8 and Windows Mobile in 2012 - which means that any change to happen and unification, isn 't until at least 2013.

Developers believe that applications could made to run one of these interfaces, when you bring them close together was enough: one suggestion is that Silverlight, its browser plugin system (similar to Adobe 's Flash), could fill the gap. Or maybe HTML5/Javascript/CSS will do the work, because Microsoft has written Windows apps for the 8 (the slight horror invested some developers with years of Microsoft-specific development environments) is spoken.

Standardisation will Tear Us Apart

My views: uniting the test, "Windows" - or create a uniform operating system environment - all these devices, and even across just tablets and PCs, Is initially go swimmingly for Microsoft. Windows 8 will will first go great guns. It works on PCs, and it 's got an interface that goes on tables too! What 's not to like? You can see them on corporations grab. The idea of ??the extension (or extension of the applications) on Windows Mobile is ambitious, but I think that once they know what \ see 's happen, they' ll be back pull of trying to pull in the same way.

But watch out for the keyword: initially . Compare the approach of Apple and Google, to develop a mobile operating system on both smartphones and tablets that is compatible with Microsoft to develop a desktop OS works, these are works on both PCs and tablets.

What type of device is a tablet? Actually, don 't answer that yet. What type of device is a smartphone? A mobile one - and one that developed at breakneck speed. Video telephony, voice over IP, GPS, near field communication (NFC), gyroscopes, compasses, accelerometers, Augmented Reality (require real-time video processing plus location sensing plus Internet) - they 've all smartphones come over the past years. And to develop the mobile operating systems have been involved to be able to handle the inputs involved and process them - meaning that in order to be useful for developers, the OS has to develop and offer APIs.

You need to just how far and how fast Apple 's IOS and especially Google' s Android since 2007 and 2008 proved to realize that smartphone OS Evolution is looking at an amazing pace to run. The IOS versions Wikipedia page and Android versions display to Wikipedia page, that the times between major upgrades to less than one year.

Compare that with desktop operating systems: Microsoft and Apple are now on the development cycles that take at least two years between major releases. Windows 7 arrived in 2009; Windows 8 is expected in 2012. Snow Leopard came in August 2009; Lion is, well, any day now. The development cycle for desktop operating systems, even with service packs, is much slower than those for mobile phones.

So our next crucial question: is a more like a tablet PC or a Smartphone? I think that pretty much answers itself. Despite what Lee says (or has been told to say after a long strategy meeting with Steve Ballmer and Steve Sinofsky, head of the Windows division), pellets get into situations that are more mobile than they are static, are used. You 're used in snatched moments between trains, or in the houses, especially in situations where people don' t want to or can 't use laptops.

OK - you can argue that laptops are used in mobile situations, and nobody suggests that they aren 't PCs. Fair enough: as we 'll let Microsoft find that pills are PCs, and leave it the same OS for tablets such as desktop and laptop PCs.

Now the fun begins

For a year, the Windows Tablet will look great. But during that time, Apple and Google (not to mention HP, with its TouchPad / webOS and RIM with the text book, if there 's make it then) to work as hard as they can to advance its mobile operating systems to take it all novel, appeared. You 'll build smartphones and tablets which will include all kinds of new technologies (which may now only a gleam in a scientist 's eye - we' re talking 2013 here).

Meanwhile, those Windows tablets will begin to struggle, because Microsoft will have two choices: (1) come up with service packs that enable access to APIs for those technologies on tablets, which of course won't be needed on desktops, lest they fall behind the competition, or (2) keep tablets moving at the slower pace of desktops.

The second doesn 't look good. The first is competitive - that is, but also write and test the new software - hard enough - and more to the point, is working on a continuous updating and testing plan that does not allow for delays. Will not miss a trick in the tablet market, and another step in and grab it. New APIs need to run Windows tablets are given in order to compete with rivals, otherwise they 'll not support new technologies, and looking back.

But to pursue the tablet PC and the track aren 't going to be completely in sync, the tablet title will move much faster than the desktop track when Microsoft will hold itself in competition with rivals. Few people have a gyroscope in their desktop PC. You need GPU optimization. Built-in 3G isn 't important for a desktop, you might like it in one pill. What Microsoft should first develop? If tablets are sold, is that the resources of the desktop development - unless you have more bodies to throw both of them, in the event that the inevitable problem of regression testing to ensure that code improvements messed haven 't all your earlier works do.

Another alternative is that the tablet lane moves slower, in this case, although (to improve profit by Moore \ t 's Law), they won' the pills in the speed of integrated additional functions. Can process in 2014 when rival tablets iris recognition and voice recognition, people will wait for Microsoft to crank the handle on Windows, to update a tablet that allows to publish?

It is extremely difficult for Microsoft to take off. Remember that Windows Mobile has been delayed significantly, although it used existing code (and is still back at old code built on Windows Mobile). Vista was delayed because Sinofsky ripped the entire development process for Windows - which is in theory much more agile now. Nevertheless, the risk of the tablet and desktop operating systems diverging very real, and this already at Apple and Google. But it can do 'sa bigger risk if you insist that you be able to do the same things on the desktop as you, on the tablet - as Lee has.

In theory, Windows can now be developed much faster. This raises the question of why it 's less than 3 years between the versions. If tablet PCs and move at different speeds, as we already know that they are, Microsoft will fight to prevent forking. Either it's' s happening \ draw out the most amazing feat of evolution ever - not that probably because of its track record - or one of the two, tablets and PCs will suffer in the development stakes.

Microsoft could of course get around this challenge by assuming that the tablets with a better mobile OS - what sort of what Apple, Google, HP, and recently proved. But to do that, the Windows license fee would hope it to sacrifice to extract from any Windows tablet under the new regime. The danger is that sacrifice would be exactly like his previous efforts on tablets, it 's to the volume of the value - and annoy their partner.