Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 surprisingly still a thing, will get Windows 11 treatment
(2023/04/18)
- Reference: 1681773428
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/04/17/microsoft_hololens_windows_11/
- Source link:
Though Microsoft's mixed reality teams took a hit this year in terms of cost cuts and layoffs, the IT giant is pushing forward with its HoloLens 2 headset, with plans to upgrade it to Windows 11.
The free update will come in the first half of this year, we're told, with Redmond putting an emphasis on the mixed-reality device's immersive and security capabilities in the industrial space, with the applications for such sectors as manufacturing, healthcare, and automotive that run on the platform.
"HoloLens 2 has been changing the way frontline workers collaborate, learn and work in industrial settings, from factories to service locations and supply chain warehouses," [1]wrote Robin Seiler, COO and corporate vice president of Windows and devices at Microsoft, toward the end of last week.
[2]
Bringing Windows 11 to HoloLens includes providing continuous platform support, so organizations will receive monthly security servicing updates to help protect sensitive data and improve application performance.
[3]
[4]
Windows 11 isn't the only upgrade the device is getting. Along with the OS, Microsoft also is bringing developer tools like its Edge WebView2 control to its $3,500 HoloLens 2, letting development teams to embed web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into applications for the platform.
"By upgrading to Windows 11, HoloLens 2 will continue to provide these tools and benefits while ensuring the most secure mixed reality environments for our industrial metaverse customers," Seiler wrote.
[5]US blocks $400m Army HoloLens orders, Microsoft left with a tenth for R&D
[6]Microsoft's mixed reality dream meets harsh reality of job cuts
[7]Think tank: Chips Act is great, but US should look at biotech supply chain too
[8]Google stops selling its biz-grade augmented reality specs
It's been an up-and-down ride over the past year or so for the four-year-old HoloLens effort. Alex Kipman, who created the HoloLens and led Redmond's mixed reality group, was [9]drummed out in June and a few months later reports surfaced that testing done by the US Army found that a customized version of the virtual-reality headsets for the military gave soldiers [10]headaches and nausea .
The Army in 2021 gave Microsoft a contract worth up to $22 billion for 120,000 of the headsets, though this January Congress [11]hit the brakes on the project, except for research into improving the hardware's heads-up display and maps and ability to help soldiers in low-visibility situations.
[12]
Weeks later, Microsoft [13]announced it was shuttering its AltspaceVR social platform, closing its Mixed Reality Tool Kit (MRTK) program, and laying off workers in its HoloLens VR headset team, as part of a larger strategy to shed 10,000 jobs this year, or about five percent of the workforce. The Windows goliath decided the real – and profitable – future for virtual and augmented reality lies in the commercial space rather than with consumers.
This is at a time when shipments of augmented and virtual reality goggles [14]dropped by a fifth in 2022 versus the year before, according to industry figures.
Soon after news of the layoffs at Microsoft broke, Seiler [15]reiterated Microsoft's support for HoloLens 2, calling it and Dynamics 365 mixed reality apps "key components of Industrial Metaverse deployments, connecting the benefits of digital transformation to frontline workers in field service, factory operations, and many other use cases."
[16]
As an example, Seiler outlined how Porsche Cars North America is using the headsets and apps to train technicians and improve customer service.
The upgrade with Microsoft 11 is an example of Redmond's ongoing support, despite the cost and job cuts, we're told. There have also been other positive steps for the headsets. Though it seems a HoloLens 3 is off the table, it's estimated by IDC analysts that roughly 300,000 HoloLens and HoloLens 2 devices have been sold to date.
More ads in Windows 11 Start Menu could be last straw for some [17]READ MORE
In December, Microsoft [18]announced the integration of HoloLens with Teams and a [19]report earlier this month in the Army Times suggested Microsoft and military researchers are developing version 1.2 of the HoloLens-for-military headset for the Army that includes a refined design and could be ready for testing in 2025.
The Army bought 5,000 headsets with the version 1.0 design and another 5,000 with version 1.1, which may be delivered early next year, according to the report.
Seiler said Microsoft also is adding new features to the Dynamics 365 Guide software, including enabling 3D annotations and creating a "restricted mode" with stricter access controls that organizations can use to protect against unauthorized access to confidential and highly sensitive data.
Another new feature is the ability to toggle video on or off before a Teams call, along with improvements to the quality and reliability of call streaming. ®
Get our [20]Tech Resources
[1] https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2023/04/13/microsoft-brings-windows-11-to-hololens-2/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/12/congress_hololens_microsoft/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/24/microsoft_mixed_reality_cuts/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/04/biotech_us_military/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/16/google_enterprise_glass_discontinued/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/08/kipman/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/13/us_army_report_microsoft_hololens/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/12/congress_hololens_microsoft/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/24/microsoft_mixed_reality_cuts/
[14] https://www.idc.com/promo/arvr
[15] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mixed-reality-blog/microsoft-committed-to-hololens-2-and-mixed-reality/ba-p/3732405
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/17/microsoft_windows_start_ads/
[18] https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/dynamics365/bdm/2022/12/15/holographic-microsoft-teams-features-empower-hybrid-collaboration-in-the-industrial-metaverse/
[19] https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2023/04/05/changes-ahead-in-the-next-version-of-the-armys-mixed-reality-goggle/
[20] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The free update will come in the first half of this year, we're told, with Redmond putting an emphasis on the mixed-reality device's immersive and security capabilities in the industrial space, with the applications for such sectors as manufacturing, healthcare, and automotive that run on the platform.
"HoloLens 2 has been changing the way frontline workers collaborate, learn and work in industrial settings, from factories to service locations and supply chain warehouses," [1]wrote Robin Seiler, COO and corporate vice president of Windows and devices at Microsoft, toward the end of last week.
[2]
Bringing Windows 11 to HoloLens includes providing continuous platform support, so organizations will receive monthly security servicing updates to help protect sensitive data and improve application performance.
[3]
[4]
Windows 11 isn't the only upgrade the device is getting. Along with the OS, Microsoft also is bringing developer tools like its Edge WebView2 control to its $3,500 HoloLens 2, letting development teams to embed web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into applications for the platform.
"By upgrading to Windows 11, HoloLens 2 will continue to provide these tools and benefits while ensuring the most secure mixed reality environments for our industrial metaverse customers," Seiler wrote.
[5]US blocks $400m Army HoloLens orders, Microsoft left with a tenth for R&D
[6]Microsoft's mixed reality dream meets harsh reality of job cuts
[7]Think tank: Chips Act is great, but US should look at biotech supply chain too
[8]Google stops selling its biz-grade augmented reality specs
It's been an up-and-down ride over the past year or so for the four-year-old HoloLens effort. Alex Kipman, who created the HoloLens and led Redmond's mixed reality group, was [9]drummed out in June and a few months later reports surfaced that testing done by the US Army found that a customized version of the virtual-reality headsets for the military gave soldiers [10]headaches and nausea .
The Army in 2021 gave Microsoft a contract worth up to $22 billion for 120,000 of the headsets, though this January Congress [11]hit the brakes on the project, except for research into improving the hardware's heads-up display and maps and ability to help soldiers in low-visibility situations.
[12]
Weeks later, Microsoft [13]announced it was shuttering its AltspaceVR social platform, closing its Mixed Reality Tool Kit (MRTK) program, and laying off workers in its HoloLens VR headset team, as part of a larger strategy to shed 10,000 jobs this year, or about five percent of the workforce. The Windows goliath decided the real – and profitable – future for virtual and augmented reality lies in the commercial space rather than with consumers.
This is at a time when shipments of augmented and virtual reality goggles [14]dropped by a fifth in 2022 versus the year before, according to industry figures.
Soon after news of the layoffs at Microsoft broke, Seiler [15]reiterated Microsoft's support for HoloLens 2, calling it and Dynamics 365 mixed reality apps "key components of Industrial Metaverse deployments, connecting the benefits of digital transformation to frontline workers in field service, factory operations, and many other use cases."
[16]
As an example, Seiler outlined how Porsche Cars North America is using the headsets and apps to train technicians and improve customer service.
The upgrade with Microsoft 11 is an example of Redmond's ongoing support, despite the cost and job cuts, we're told. There have also been other positive steps for the headsets. Though it seems a HoloLens 3 is off the table, it's estimated by IDC analysts that roughly 300,000 HoloLens and HoloLens 2 devices have been sold to date.
More ads in Windows 11 Start Menu could be last straw for some [17]READ MORE
In December, Microsoft [18]announced the integration of HoloLens with Teams and a [19]report earlier this month in the Army Times suggested Microsoft and military researchers are developing version 1.2 of the HoloLens-for-military headset for the Army that includes a refined design and could be ready for testing in 2025.
The Army bought 5,000 headsets with the version 1.0 design and another 5,000 with version 1.1, which may be delivered early next year, according to the report.
Seiler said Microsoft also is adding new features to the Dynamics 365 Guide software, including enabling 3D annotations and creating a "restricted mode" with stricter access controls that organizations can use to protect against unauthorized access to confidential and highly sensitive data.
Another new feature is the ability to toggle video on or off before a Teams call, along with improvements to the quality and reliability of call streaming. ®
Get our [20]Tech Resources
[1] https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2023/04/13/microsoft-brings-windows-11-to-hololens-2/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/12/congress_hololens_microsoft/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/24/microsoft_mixed_reality_cuts/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/04/biotech_us_military/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/16/google_enterprise_glass_discontinued/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/08/kipman/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/13/us_army_report_microsoft_hololens/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/12/congress_hololens_microsoft/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/24/microsoft_mixed_reality_cuts/
[14] https://www.idc.com/promo/arvr
[15] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mixed-reality-blog/microsoft-committed-to-hololens-2-and-mixed-reality/ba-p/3732405
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZD4V4RFFaVe6XOmQcW1EzQAAAsg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/17/microsoft_windows_start_ads/
[18] https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/dynamics365/bdm/2022/12/15/holographic-microsoft-teams-features-empower-hybrid-collaboration-in-the-industrial-metaverse/
[19] https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2023/04/05/changes-ahead-in-the-next-version-of-the-armys-mixed-reality-goggle/
[20] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Damn you
Anonymous Coward
when your right your right.
Facebook has done a brilliant job of convincing consumers that VR and AR are nothing but the onramp to a dystopian hellscape. Developers have been happy to lap up the cash, but Zuckerburgs bet that the industry would hand him control of the future of the internet if he pumped out enough cheap headsets hasn't hit paydirt. And he has pissed in the manufacturer's pool by making it impossible to sell hardware at actual cost. So his willingness to to flush mountains of cash down the loo has ensured a repeat of the 90's VR crash. Some of the same faces as well, still hyping up buzzword compliant vaporware with a business model of fleecing VCs who haven't forgotten them.
I had hope we would see the other side of the finish line this time. All the parts are there, with decent 1080 per eye hardware a possibility in the premium tier of the field.
I'd rather see the whole market burn and wait another 25 years before I see it taken over by Facebook-by-another name. There is enough hell on earth to go around at the moment. That said I may try to grab a last gen Hololens to add to the pile of Microsoft hardware that was to interesting and useful to exist, like the Kinect. People showed that you could do amazing things with both, and Microsoft never really managed to execute on either opportunity fully. A few cool videos but not much success in scaling the market. Weirdly I think both projects got slapped with some brain drain with the self-driving car bubble, losing both ToF camera/lidar talent and environment modeling talent from a fairly limited pool.
Windows 11 in goggles, eh?
Talk about [1]in-your-face adverts!
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/17/microsoft_windows_start_ads/