Earlier this year, Microsoft entered into a new product category with the HoloLens. The technology looks extremely promising and we’ve seen it on stage on a number of occasions over the past few months. Despite its usefulness, the question which remains is when will customers be able to get their hands on a unit. Microsoft has said that the HoloLens will first reach developers and enterprises next year before it makes its way to the general public, with Satya Nadella saying in that July BBC interview that the HoloLens is “a five year journey”. That message was reiterated yesterday by Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, at the Salesforce’s customer conference Dreamforce (via Business Insider).
The HoloLens is one of the flagship devices of a new technology, augmented reality. Due to it being so new, Microsoft is taking a patient approach and ensuring that it is worked on over time. They plan to roll it out to developers and enterprises and work out the kinks before a general public release. The company already has plans for putting the prototype to use in real world. NASA wants to use the device in outer space and SpaceX has already attempted to launch two of them into space though the unmanned rocket exploded.
Nadella further said that it is geared towards businesses as they have a clear use for it. As we’ve said before, the company has showcased the augmented reality headset on stage several times, highlighting how it can be helpful for engineers and architects but it is still a very new technology that will take time to get to the general public.
