HoloLens 3 isn't happening and metaverse tie-in strategy is unclear, says report
Microsoft has done a lot with HoloLens and its successor, HoloLens 2, in the time both products have been available to the public. However, even with the line's accomplishments, a HoloLens 3 may not be in the cards.
According to a report by Business Insider, HoloLens 3 has been scrapped by Microsoft and the HoloLens team is trapped in a state of perpetual confusion and uncertainty over what the long-term goals of existing plans are. As a result, teammates are leaving Microsoft to pursue augmented reality positions at rival companies such as Meta, a development that was documented before this report.
Some of the HoloLens team believe the focus should remain on hardware innovation efforts, like has been seen with the U.S. Army's IVAS contract, which holds the potential to net Microsoft up to $22 billion in exchange for its delivery of soldier-attuned HoloLens variants. That project has been delayed, reportedly because Microsoft has been thus far unable to produce a combat-ready device.
See also: Microsoft's HoloLens 3 's--t show' proves it still doesn't understand the consumer market
Previously: U.S. Army Awards Microsoft a $480 Million HoloLens Contract
Microsoft Announces $3,500 HoloLens 2 With Wider Field of View and Other Improvements
Microsoft Misrepresented HoloLens 2 Field of View, Faces Backlash for Military Contract
U.S. Army Shows Off Demo of HoloLens 2 System
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 04 2022, @09:48AM (1 child)
...nothing of value was lost.
Maybe Google will buy it and kick the can down the road a little before cancellation too.
(Score: 2) by drussell on Friday February 04 2022, @06:11PM
Indeed. I literally could not care less.
There may be some usefulness to a device like this, but I don't think that usefulness is going to be nearly as widespread as the proponents would like you to believe.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 04 2022, @05:11PM (1 child)
guess there's no place for a "xerox park" in the world today.
short term profit trumps long term improvement of humankind everytime?
(Score: 3, Informative) by drussell on Friday February 04 2022, @06:08PM
That's Xerox PARC, which stands for Palo Alto Research Center. 🙂
In the US' current captalisim-run-amok scenario, yes. Anything for short-term shareholder profits, to hell with the future consequences. Send in the corporate raiders! Screw over the 100-year old company, divest of any valuable assets, squeeze it for everything it is worth, to hell with any potential future value! Disband the engineering teams, sell off useful divisions, we're "making" short-term money by "extracting" value! Oh, it is all gone? Rinse and repeat with next
victim"undervalued" company.Obviously in the grand scheme of things, this is incredibly short-sighted, yet it persists.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 05 2022, @06:15AM
Cancelled, just like aristarchus! Oh, the Holographic Mermen!