Microsoft Discontinues HoloLens 2 with No Plans for a Successor: What It Means for AR
Microsoft has confirmed that the company will be ending support for HoloLens 2, an augmented reality (AR) headset, and will not issue a version of that particular device. Launched with much pomp and excitement with the hope to evolve and drive the AR market forward, HoloLens 2 has been widely adopted in enterprises but failed to gain a significant foothold in consumers’ homes.
In this blog, we will explore why Microsoft is pulling the plug on HoloLens 2, what that might mean for the AR industry, and what may lie ahead for Microsoft’s AR ambitions.
Why the HoloLens 2 Is Being Killed Off: The Reasons
The Decision To Can HoloLens 2 Was Multi-Pronged: Microsoft came to the decision to stop releasing a model of HoloLens and will not release a succession model for a few reasons.
Consumer Adoption Failure: With such innovative technology, the HoloLens 2 never came within mainstream consumers’ reach. A high price and an enterprise solutions focused approach meagerly kept users within a limited scope.
Competing in AR: In times when investment in augmented and mixed realities is going up for Meta and Apple, Microsoft’s HoloLens was found struggling to stay at ground zero.
Focus Shift: The new focus of Microsoft towards software, particularly cloud solutions, might be the reason for the elimination of what, on the surface seems to be hardware-centric solutions like HoloLens.
What Are the Implications for the AR Industry?
Removing HoloLens 2 is a void in the enterprise AR market. While Microsoft might have decided to abandon the hardware development process, others may capitalize on this by introducing and broadening the applicability of their AR solutions developed for sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and education.
Such a move by Microsoft, however, can also be seen as an indication that the market for standalone AR devices isn’t mature enough yet, and maybe to some extent shifting focus towards solutions that are more integrated within virtual reality and mixed reality platforms.
So, What’s the Future of Microsoft?
Although the story of HoloLens 2 could be over, the story of Microsoft’s interest in augmented reality and mixed reality is still very far from being over. Here, the company will probably hold on tight to its Azure cloud services and capabilities in AI and develop mixed reality solutions integrating virtual and augmented reality technologies through partnerships and software innovations.
But what is even more promising for Microsoft is the use of its already existing technologies such as Windows Mixed Reality and Microsoft Mesh so it can really focus more on collaboration and productivity-oriented tools that bring the AR and VR together in a more holistic way.
Conclusion: The End of a Hardware Era, but Not AR for Microsoft
While it may mark the end of Microsoft’s integration with AR hardware, what is quite evident is that the company will continue to explore augmented reality through software and cloud services. With how the AR landscape changes, the eventual shift in focus may make it so that Microsoft should be ahead in the long run.
IMAGE SOURCE – https://mixed-news.com/en/microsoft-has-no-significant-roadmap-for-hololens-report/