IoT was a big deal at Build 2016, and Microsoft can’t stop talking about it

Even though Microsoft seemed to be doling out Windows 10 specific features piecemeal during its primary Build 2016 keynotes and was frighteningly mum on Windows 10 Mobile news, the company did speak at length about its investments in Internet of Things (IoT).  Microsoft seems so enamored with its IoT investments, in fact, that the company has continued the conversation beyond its developer conference and is now talking about new milestones developers can look forward.

According to the Windows blog:

We’ve been working hard on standards-based connectivity as you might have seen from our recent OCF announcement. Devices with Windows 10 can serve as the central connection point for all of your things, no matter what the ecosystem and if you’ve been building AllJoyn-based applications, not only will they continue to work, but in the future, they’ll talk to even more devices.”

Developers can also target a multitude of devices from a single environment with the introduction of Windows 10 IoT Core Pro edition software.

This will enable OEM/ODMs to move between Windows 10 IoT Core and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise without the need to maintain a separate firmware image for their devices. Additionally, we’re making the Board Support Package for the Raspberry Pi open source (except for the UEFI parts) to help OEM/ODMs provide a customized board experience.”

Aside from what Microsoft has currently enabled for developers, the company has already laid out plans to include support for application updates via the Windows Store for applications on Windows 10 IoT Core Pro as well as building in more security features into a simplified Visual Studio extension. The Visual Studio extension is intended to offer a much simpler experience in connecting devices with Azure IoT hub services.

Microsoft’s IoT initiative stands alongside its push of Windows 10, Azure, Office and Xbox highlighting the company’s vision of scalable platforms. Windows 10 development and Windows 10 IoT, in particular, are showcasing Microsoft’s desire to offer a more cohesive development experience for developers while building out and adapting new technologies as they become available.