Microsoft's central announcement was its unifying device operating system, Windows 10. The company says that HoloLens will fit into the vision of a seamless OS across numerous devices.
In a blog post Microsoft wrote:
Windows 10 is the world’s first holographic computing platform—complete with a set of APIs that enable developers to create holographic experiences in the real world. With Windows 10, holograms are Windows universal apps and Windows universal apps can work as holograms, making it possible to place three-dimensional holograms in the world around you to communicate, create and explore ...
Over the last couple of years Microsoft has been quiet about virtual reality or Google Glass competitors, and it seemed like the company was behind. But perhaps it was just biding its time before surging ahead with a stronger vision. Following a hands-on using HoloLens, Wired reporter Jessi Hempel wrote, "After exploring Mars [in a demo], I don’t want to remove the headset, which has provided a glimpse of a combination of computing tools that make the unimaginable feel real."
Microsoft says that it will release HoloLens around the same time as Windows 10 later this year, so the device seems to be more than a prototype pipe dream. It's also exciting to think that some of Microsoft's progress with holograms could potentially aid efforts to use the technology in fields like medicine.
Whether HoloLens will work and deliver seamless Windows 10 integration obviously remains to be seen. It's a pretty frickin' awesome announcement, though, and a bold move for what was starting to seem like a super lame company.
Microsoft's HoloLens made a splashy debut at last week's Windows 10 press conference. Observing the wireless demonstration of Windows Holographic was akin to watching a science fiction movie, as its wearer created a model UFO by shifting images around in midair.
Skeptics in the tech world, especially those watching the ever-growing wearables space, acknowledged similarities between the HoloLens and Google Glass, which was recently pulled from the market as Google shut down its Explorer program to further refine its approach to connected eyewear for the consumer audience.
Brian Blau, research director of consumer technology and markets at Gartner, has experience working in the virtual reality space and claims it's "a bit unfair" to compare Google Glass to Microsoft's holographic headgear. Sure, they're similar in the sense that they're both head-mounted displays, but it seems that Microsoft is trying to go down a different road.
"Out of all the head-mounted displays that I've tried in the past couple of decades, the HoloLens was the best in its class," Blau said. "There's a lot of promise for this kind of technology. It's odd to think about, in terms of wearing such an intimate device, but it can provide a lot of very rich information."
HoloLens could be categorized as a virtual reality (VR) device, as well as an augmented reality (AR) product like Google Glass. It's easy to see how Microsoft's product is more advanced. Its headset recognizes the wearer's vocal communication, eye movement, and hand gestures to help facilitate interaction between the virtual world and the real world.
While HoloLens is designed to project images in midair and on surrounding objects, Glass was designed to perform the functions of a smartphone. Like a phone, Glass could support apps, provide directions, take photos and videos, and perform Internet searches. It didn't offer much functionality that a smartphone doesn't, and as a result consumers perceived Glass as a redundant, more expensive version of their handheld devices.
There is a perception issue with Glass, says Blau.
Google was challenged to appeal to a mass consumer market that perceived its eyewear as high-end wearable technology lacking practical everyday applicability. Its camera, which was considered intrusive, did not help its image. Although Glass's social stigma will fade with time, people aren't yet ready to use such advanced technology for day-to-day tasks, says Blau.
HoloLens, in contrast, seems to have been designed with the enterprise in mind.
"Fundamentally, this type of immersive technology is going to be useful in many different types of businesses," says Blau. Applicability ranges from corporate training to hands-free work environments and remote communication. Although HoloLens also could be used for gaming, personal entertainment, and communication, the implications for business are greater.
It's unlikely that Windows Holographic will face the same social stigma that Google Glass did. Right now, Microsoft appears to be focusing more on business-related functionality and gaming with its new creation. It isn't marketing holographic technology as something people will wear in daily life -- nobody will be concerned that a HoloLens is recording him in the local coffee shop.
That isn't to say that security won't be an issue with Windows Holographic. Privacy concerns will arise in time, says Blau, and security will prove a challenge as the HoloLens develops in the months to come.
"Did Microsoft look at the experience that Google had, and try to avoid that? Certainly," Blau notes, but right now the HoloLens is miles ahead of Glass. Will it stay ahead of the wearables game? Only time will tell.
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