Casio boosts production of Windows CE device; cites strong demand

Casio announced today that it is boosting production of the Cassiopeiahandheld PC that runs Windows CE. The company expects to sell 500,000 unitsthis year, far more than originally estimated. To meet the unexpecteddemand, Casio will more than double the capacity of its plant in Japanthis Spring. Two thirds of the devices will be sold in the United States, with the remainder split evenly between Japan and Europe.

Handheld PCs (HPCs) are only the beginning of Microsoft's plans for thesmall footprint operating system. The OS vendor sees Windows CE as the corecomponent of numerous devices with varying form factors. Testing of WindowsCE 2.0, which features support for color, begins soon