Microsoft is also skipping version 2 and going straight to version 3
A new report from a usually reliable site says there will be no new version of the Microsoft HoloLens, its virtual reality/augmented reality headset, until 2019. Not only that, but the company is skipping the second version design and going straight to the third version
In a lengthy report on Thurrott.com, Brad Sims details how Microsoft decided that version 2 of HoloLens would feature only small, incremental improvements over the original version and that it wasn’t right to come to market with a minor bump.
Instead the company decided to shelve V2 and go straight to V3, which would feature a bigger leap in technology, and that meant taking a little longer to get it done.
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That’s typically how hardware evolves. The first Surface Pro tablet, for example, wasn’t much to write home about. The second one had better hardware and battery life as Microsoft got its arms around the hardware. They finally hit the jackpot with Surface 3, which was thinner, lighter and faster.
So, if the second version was going to be just an iteration, why release it? It’s one thing to turn $500 tablets into a public beta test like Microsoft more or less did with the first two iterations of Surface, but it’s a different matter with HoloLens, which runs $3,000. People won’t want an incomplete product for that kind of money.
Holding on HoloLens makes sense
Of course, that also means a four-year gap between versions of HoloLens, an eternity in technology. The original HoloLens is already starting to look long in the tooth, and two more years won’t make it any better, especially with aggressive competitors like Facebook/Oculus, Samsung and HTC.
I asked Microsoft for comment, and a spokesperson provided the same one they offered Sims:
“Mixed reality is the future of computing, and Microsoft HoloLens is the future and present of mixed reality. Our commitment requires no roadmap.”
In the end, though, I think this is the right move. VR and AR are fast-evolving technologies. There will be multiple releases of new chips to power headsets between now and 2019, so it’s best to just save it for the latest and biggest leap rather than an iterative jump.
VR and AR are still in their early stages, and while it might look as though Microsoft is giving up early ground, don’t forget how many times Microsoft has come late to a market only to take it over through sheer determination (and a little rough play).
