Microsoft consumer and device sales corporate vice president Nick Parker (Source: Microsoft)
Microsoft has used the Computex 2018 event in Taiwan to unveil details of a new partner community for the intelligent edge, a new category of Windows 10 devices dubbed Windows Collaboration Displays and a new offering, Windows 10 IoT Core Services.
At the event, the vendor’s consumer and device sales corporate vice president Nick Parker discussed Microsoft’s efforts aimed at bringing the industry together to build the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge, while delivering new experiences and solutions.
Part of the company’s efforts includes its move to invite all of its partners to join its intelligent edge partner community, with the claimed purpose of accelerating innovation in the area.
It is hoped the community will help partners connect with one another to identify opportunities to collaborate on technology innovation and achieve shared business goals.
In addition, community members will be able to participate in training and community events, and can participate in early adopter programs that provide access to documentation, specs, operating system builds and certification details.
Other reveals at the Computex 2018 event include the vendor’s new Windows 10 IoT Core Services offering, aimed at enabling original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners to commercialise secure Internet of Things (IoT)-devices, backed by industry-leading support.
Windows 10 IoT Core, which was first released in 2015, is an edition of Windows 10 designed for building smart things and optimised to power intelligent edge devices.
Building on the Windows 10 IoT Core operating system, Windows 10 IoT Core Services will be a paid offering for IoT devices, and will provide device makers with the ability to manage updates for the OS, apps, settings and OEM-specific files, backed by 10 years of support.
The company also unveiled a new category of devices dubbed Windows Collaboration Displays, which let users experience the Microsoft 365 productivity platform’s collaboration tools, Office, Teams and Whiteboard, at room scale.
A variety of Collaboration Displays devices from OEM partners Sharp and Avocor are expected to be available later this year, the vendor said. It is hoped the new technology will allow facility managers to utilise environmental data to make real-time decisions.
"For Microsoft, it's more than just screens and devices; it's about creating services and experiences with technology that support ambitions and aspirations," Microsoft consumer and device sales corporate vice president Nick Parker said.
"Imagine the devices and experiences we can create with ubiquitous computing, infused with AI [artificial intelligence] and connected to the cloud. This is such an incredible time for the industry,” he said.
