Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Update enables sideloading, easier app development and more

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Posted By Cuong Pham
Product Manager

In alignment with the recently announced general availability of Windows 8.1 Update, Windows Embedded is making Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Update available to customers and partners via Windows Update, Microsoft OEM Online and Volume Licensing Service Center. (Read news about that here, and also see this for further details.)

The update will bring enhancements to Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry in a number of areas:

  • Sideloading will be enabled on Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry — meaning the customers no longer need to purchase a sideloading key through VL
  • Inter-process communication between a modern app and a desktop app will be enabled, allowing developers to take advantage of both the modern app model as well as the existing desktop app model
  • Updated Embedded Lockdown Manager provides a more unified way to manage embedded lockdown features such as unified write filter and gesture filter
  • User interface improvements to help naturally bridge touch and desktop, especially for keyboard and mouse users
  • Enabling Windows on lower-cost hardware (e.g., 1 GB RAM and 16 GB SSD), enabling a wider range of industry tablet devices

For our customers, this update will help them stay current with modern technologies as well as continue to receive future updates, including security updates. For ISV partners, deploying modern apps on Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry will be more streamlined. And OEM partners will have the ability to enable Windows on lower-cost hardware; also note that OEMs will need to apply this update to continue getting future security updates.

We are excited to make this update available to enable Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry devices to deliver improved security and modern app and user experience on lower-cost hardware with more flexible modern app deployment. Read more about the product on our Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry product page.