Since the announcement of Microsoft HoloLens
handsets, the company never opened up about the number of units that have been
sold, nor the complete availability of it. However, that changes today as
Microsoft at the Future Decoded event in London has confirmed that HoloLens is
expanding to 29 more markets.
HoloLens is Microsoft’s mixed reality take on Apple
and Google’s AR efforts. As of last March, Microsoft claimed that 150 apps are
built for the HoloLens and it is even heard that the company is working on the
second-generation HoloLens hardware device which will feature its own AI chip.
This dedicated AI chip inclusion will move some of the HoloLens computing from
cloud to local.
The HoloLens is built to run on Windows 10 which natively
has support for the holographic interface at the API level. Microsoft says that
the “era of mixed reality will serve as a catalyst for innovations in the
workplace and we expect Firstline Workers and Information Workers to benefit
significantly from solutions that blend our physical and digital reality.”
Currently, Microsoft sells Development Edition of
the HoloLens for US$ 3,000 and a ‘Commercial Suite’ with added enterprise features
for US$ 5,000. Microsoft even mentioned that it would roll the most asked features
via software updates for HoloLens to our existing customers sometime early next
year. It also said that in the first quarter of next year the company would be
shipping an additional holographic remote instruction capability built on
Microsoft Teams and Azure Active Directory.
will be available include Austria, Belgium,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
HoloLens has passed basic impact tests for
protective eyewear standards in North America and Europe and is also IP50 rated
for dust resistance. Microsoft announced that the HoloLens hard hat accessory
is in production and will be available for purchase early next year.
