Back in February of this year, we reported that the new $35 Raspberry Pi 2 would include a copy of Windows 10 for free – we just didn’t know when. Well, today is that day.
In a new post on the Windows Blog, Steve Teixeira, Microsoft’s Director of Management for Microsoft’s IoT Team, announced that the company has officially released the pubic version of Windows IoT Core, their pared-down version of Windows 10 which was engineered to be used with the Raspberry Pi 2 and the Minnowboard Max.
Windows 10 IoT Core is a new edition of the popular operating system that is specifically targeted towards the growing amount of small, embedded devices that may or may not have screens. Because of this, the company decided against having a graphical Windows shell experience; rather, users can write Universal Windows apps that become the interface of the device. Ultimately, the team behind Windows 10 IoT Core focused on creating a low barrier of entry that made it easy to build professional grade devices.
“We built IoT Core and the corresponding developer tools to make it easy to build projects that are fun and cool, as well as those that have very practical uses in the real world,” says Teixeira. “(You) can find evidence of this in the range of projects, from members of our team, as well as the community, that have been created in the months since our first public builds.”
Some of the projects that have been done already include an “Infinitely Expandable” Rover Robot, a Windows Remote Arduino (use an Arduino from a Windows Phone app to control objects), a Robotic Air Hockey Table and a Home Automation System, among others.
Those interested in getting started with Windows 10 IoT Core and a Raspberry Pi 2 or Minnowboard Max for testing project concepts can find the steps for provisioning your board, acquire the tools and find out more at the Windows IoT Dev Center.
