RAD Studio, Delphi and C++Builder Roadmap - March 2014

Abstract: Features and Technologies Expected in 2014 and beyond

Disclaimer: The information included in this roadmap does not constitute, and should not be construed as, a promise or commitment by Embarcadero to develop, market or deliver any particular product, feature or function. The timing and content of Embarcadero’s future product releases could differ materially from the expectations discussed here. Embarcadero reserves the right to change its product plans or roadmap at any time.

Features and Technologies Delivered in 2013

During 2013, the primary goal of the RAD Studio team was to deliver native ARM compilers and libraries targeting the iOS and Android mobile platforms, which we achieved in the XE4 and XE5 versions. Specifically, we have released Delphi for both iOS (XE4) and Android (XE5) and C++Builder for iOS (XE5 Update 2). Mobile support includes the FMX platform, the familiar RTL, database access components (now including FireDAC), and on-device databases. In addition, developers using Delphi and C++Builder can target Mac OS X with the FMX platform and Windows (both Win32 and Win64) with either the FMX platform or the VCL library.
Here is a summary of the key features added to RAD Studio in 2013:

Delphi and C++ native ARM toolchains for iOS (compiler, linker, debugger)

Delphi native ARM toolchain for Android (compiler, linker, debugger)

FMX platform for Android and iOS, including RTL and database support, and enabling direct interaction with mobile device sensors and native APIs

Embedded InterBase for mobile platforms (iOS and Android), in the free IBLite edition and the enhanced InterBase ToGo edition.

New FireDAC universal data access library supporting all major RDBMS and a brand new REST client library for connecting with REST and cloud libraries for both FMX and VCL

iOS 7 support, made available with Apple’s release

Features and Technologies Expected in 2014

The main themes for RAD Studio in 2014 are the additions of C++ for Android, quality, performance, and architectural improvements, an enhanced single-source multi-device designer and runtime, and enhancements of the remoting and multi-tier architecture for enterprise applications. We also anticipate delivering several new VCL components and features.
Here are some of the technologies and features we are working on and expect to release over two major releases during 2014:

Complete C++ toolchain for Android
QPS (Quality, Performance, Stability)
Advertising and Payments components for Android and iOS
DataSnap middleware enhancements (performance, REST mapping, architectural improvements)
Further enhanced single source multi-platform support with new multi-device visual designers and new, flexible user interface components
Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS components, interfacing with some of the key providers, like Parse and Kinvey
Mobile and desktop applications interoperability
Android KitKat specific support
Easy-to-use Windows taskbar buttons component for VCL applications
Improvements in VCL styles and in the support for VCL applications on Windows Intel tablets, with specific styles and sensor components
Direct support for wearable Android devices with particular form factors, particularly Google Glass
Apache HTTP server modules support for WebBroker and DataSnap, alongside with the current ISAPI IIS support
Several run time library (RTL) improvements, implemented for all platforms and involving areas like XML processing, JSON processing, among others.
FireDAC new drivers and enhancements to existing drivers, including support for newer database versions
Support for future versions of Android and iOS, expected to be announced by Google and Apple during the current year.
Bluetooth support (for mobile devices)
A new release of the C++ compiler for Win32, with full support for the C++ 11 language specification

Features and Technologies After 2014

There are other platforms and features we are actively researching and investigating, and other technologies under evaluation that are not part of the current 2014 roadmap.

Support for future versions of Android and iOS
Linux server support for DataSnap and WebBroker, including RTL and database access
Wearable devices and HUDs (Head-up Displays), as they become available, including special-purpose Android form factors and APIs
Native and direct integration with new REST APIs, focused on different areas ranging from automated systems to NOSQL databases
Mac OS X 64bit compiler, toolchain, and libraries
Support for Windows 8 ARM/WinRT(for the Windows Phone and/or the Windows RT desktop)
Enhancements and additions to BAAS and Cloud components
Support for future version of desktop Windows that will be announced in 2014
A complete and simplified parallel computing library, to take advantage of modern multi-core CPUs more easily
Android for the Intel platform