All articles tagged with #hololens
Microsoft is laying off around 1,000 employees, impacting teams working on HoloLens 2 and Azure "moonshots." This follows a previous layoff of over 10,000 employees and comes amid Microsoft's recent investments in AI and its acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. Despite the cuts, Microsoft remains committed to its Department of Defense projects and will continue to sell HoloLens 2.
Microsoft's HoloLens, despite being technologically advanced, has not gained consumer traction compared to Apple's Vision Pro, which is being promoted through social media and influencers. With the emergence of competitors like XREAL, Microsoft may need to make the HoloLens more consumer-friendly and affordable. The company's focus on military and corporate sectors has limited its appeal. A potential HoloLens 3 could address these issues and compete in the AR glasses market, especially with the entry of more affordable options.
XREAL, formerly known as NREAL, has taken a dominant position in the augmented reality market, securing 51% market share as announced at CES 2024. Their AR glasses, which are designed to look like regular glasses and can even come with prescription lenses, function as an external monitor for Windows PCs and Android phones, and are compatible with Samsung DeX. With the decline of Microsoft's HoloLens and Windows Mixed Reality platform, XREAL's AR glasses stand out for their affordability, style, and functionality, offering a lightweight and unobtrusive alternative to other AR and VR devices. The entry-level XREAL Air 2 Pro is priced at $300, significantly lower than competitors like Apple's Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3.
Microsoft has announced that it is discontinuing Windows Mixed Reality, including the Mixed Reality Portal app and Windows Mixed Reality for Steam VR. The company first introduced the platform in 2017 to compete with VR rivals like HTC and Oculus. While the enterprise-focused HoloLens 2 remains unaffected, Microsoft has been downsizing its VR division, with the departure of HoloLens boss Alex Kipman and job cuts. However, the company continues to explore other applications of VR, such as its Microsoft Mesh app and partnerships with Meta for Office apps and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Microsoft has announced the deprecation of its Windows Mixed Reality platform, including support for Windows Mixed Reality devices and SteamVR. The company's attempt at building a VR ecosystem for Windows PCs has been mostly inactive for years, with no new VR headsets released by OEMs. Even the HoloLens product, Microsoft's only surviving "Windows Mixed Reality" device, has faced challenges. This move indicates that Microsoft is abandoning its VR venture, with no plans for a true successor to HoloLens and no interest in VR from Xbox.
Microsoft is delivering improved HoloLens-based combat goggles, known as IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System) 1.2 devices, to Army testers this month. The updated augmented reality models are slimmer, lighter, and more balanced, aiming to address previous complaints of nausea, headaches, and eye strain. The Army will test 20 prototype IVAS goggles in late August to assess low-light functionality, reliability, and user comfort. If successful, the technology could be deployed in the field within a few years, with the Army potentially awarding a contract for a second field study in 2024. However, the program's future hinges on the outcome of this test, as Congress previously blocked further orders due to reported problems.
MIT researchers have developed an augmented reality (AR) technology called X-AR, which uses a flexible antenna to locate specific objects outside the wearer's line of sight, as long as they're marked with a radio frequency identification tag and less than 15 feet away. The technology could be used in warehouses, shipping, retail, and other places where RFID tags are commonly used. It could also have potential applications in determining food safety and aiding search and rescue efforts.
Google has stopped selling its business-grade augmented reality specs, the Glass Enterprise Edition, and will end support for the device on September 15, 2023. The product was likely not profitable or widely used enough for Google to keep it alive. Microsoft's HoloLens has found modest success in fields like architecture and engineering, but the US Army's plan to deploy thousands of HoloLens devices has experienced delays and had its funding pulled by Congress. Google Glass enterprise will not be that device.