Microsoft Accelerating HoloLens Development, Skipping Version 2

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Microsoft will reportedly bypass the 2017 launch of HoloLens 2 in order to accelerate progress toward 2019’s Version 3.

According to sources speaking to Brad Sams of Thurrott.com, Microsoft will cancel the release of its second-generation HoloLens, opting instead to focus on the release of HoloLens V3 in 2019. A lack of competition in the current marketplace has reduced pressure to push an improved version to consumers, allowing Microsoft the chance to make an even bigger impact with the next iteration of their “mixed-reality” device.

In the meantime, Microsoft will continue to support the first generation HoloLens with continued software updates. Despite no more than “thousands” of sales of the device, they seem particularly confident in both the short and long term viability of the HoloLens, telling Thurrott:

Mixed reality is the future of computing, and Microsoft HoloLens is the future and present of mixed reality. Our commitment requires no roadmap.

The HoloLens is billed as “the first self-contained, holographic computer, enabling you to engage with your digital content and interact with holograms in the world around you,” according to the official site. It uses a wireless headset to insert digital 3D objects into your environment, to be viewed and interacted with in real-time.

Microsoft sees the technology revolutionizing everything from healthcare to spectator sports. Recently, they’ve even gone so far as to patent a technology that would allow it to keep track of real objects, making sure you never lose your car keys, or forget to pick up the milk.

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