Microsoft Band Has No OS, Runs On Microsoft’s Wearables Architecture

As far as wearable platforms are concerned, there are a few available at the moment. We have Tizen which Samsung uses in most of their “Gear” devices, then there’s Android Wear from Google, and with Apple, they have a special version of iOS that has been designed to run on wearables like the Apple Watch.

So what about Microsoft? What operating system could the Microsoft Band be running on? Well interestingly enough, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet that there is apparently no operating system inside the Band. Instead the spokesperson claims that “It runs on Microsoft’s wearable architecture (firmware), optimized for low-power micro-devices.”

However as noted by Foley, Microsoft had previously revealed that they were developing multiple versions of Windows 10, and that one of the versions is called “Athens” which has been designed for resource and cost constrained devices, which sounds a bit like the Microsoft Band, especially since wearables aren’t known to pack powerful specs (at the moment).

So what does this mean for developers? Well as it stands, an SDK for the Microsoft Band has yet to be released, meaning that any apps you are looking for will be released by Microsoft. However as the spokesperson had confirmed, an SDK will be released early next year for the Microsoft band. In the meantime the Microsoft Band has managed to sell out in a short amount of time, hinting at its popularity.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: Microsoft, microsoft band, Wearable Tech