Here's How Microsoft Plans to Own the Internet of Things

Microsoft has said it plans to have Windows 10 on a billion devices in the coming years.

To make that happen, the company will have to go beyond its traditional market of desktops and laptops, and even past tablets and phones. For Windows 10 to become the behemoth the company expects it to be, it will need to become embedded into Internet of Things devices.

To make that happen, Microsoft has released Windows 10 IoT Core, a slimmed-down version of its operating system designed to operate on "smart" devices. It's a just-enough system that allows developers of connected products of all types to have an operating system at the core of their products.

It's only a step on the road to one billion Win10 devices, but it's a very important one.

Windows 10 IoT Core can be used for projects like this small robot. Source: Microsoft.

What is Microsoft doing?In order for the company to see its new OS reach the numbers it's shooting for, it needs the development community to build consumer products that use Windows 10. The launch of Core is an attempt to give those developers the OS they need to provide the "smart" part of their smart devices.

The company explained how the stripped-down operating system will work in a blog post:

Basically, Microsoft has done some of the heavy lifting for developers. That's important, because Windows 10 is not the only IoT-compatible operating system -- you can use Linux or Android, among others -- but it may well be the easiest to use.

Developers are keyWhen people complain that there aren't enough apps for Windows Phone, it's because developers have chosen to not make them. That's the case because the audience to sell the app to is not as big as it is on other phone platforms. With its IoT efforts, Microsoft needs developers to create products that use the OS. If enough of them do, it could become one of the standards for the space, giving the company a stronger business going forward that does not rely as heavily on PC sales.

For that to happen, though, developers need to buy in, and Microsoft has been aggressively courting them since Win10 was announced. Those efforts were reiterated in the Windows 10 Core blog post.

If you're not a coder, not all of those words make sense, but if you are, you'd know that Microsoft is practically on its hands and knees trying to be accommodating.

Is this a good idea?Microsoft is right to target the Internet of Things, and it's smart to make it very easy for developers to use its products. In a broad sense, the development world has had a certain level of mistrust when it comes to the company since Windows has always been a closed-off world.

Under Satya Nadella, that reputation has been changing, and the company has been opening some previously closed doors. Windows 10 IoT Core has a chance to completely change that reputation. Microsoft has thrown open the doors, kicked in the windows, and is generally inviting everyone to play with its OS.

There's no guarantee it will work, as the IoT is in its very early stages, but putting extensive resources behind the effort can only help.

The article Here's How Microsoft Plans to Own the Internet of Things originally appeared on Fool.com.

Daniel Kline owns shares of Microsoft. He has always wanted to own a robot. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.