It was a little over a year ago, that I broke the news that Microsoft had stopped the development of HoloLens V2 and was pushing forward to V3. Since then, I have been asked about a million times for more information about the upcoming device but if you know where to look, the company is developing the hardware in broad daylight.

Based on documents I was able to view, Microsoft is still targeting a Q1 release of the next gen headset. Additionally, the company is referring to the project internally as Sydney.

The device, according to the documents, will be lighter, more comfortable to wear, and have significantly improved holographic displays. But most importantly, it will cost significantly less than the current version of the HoloLens.

All of this is the natural evolution for the second generation of a piece of hardware but the good news is that it’s still on track for a release early next year.

What I don’t know is if the Q1 date is for general availability or for a developer preview. I could see Microsoft seeding the newer higher-end devices to developers prior to the general release of the hardware but that is only speculation at this time.

Based on the documents I was able to view, Microsoft is approaching the MR/VR market as a must-win market. This is likely because they are on the sidelines of the smartphone segment and missing out on this generation of devices would inflict serious long-term ramifications for the company about being anything more than a cloud company.

For Microsoft, they currently have an advantage in this space as they are shipping hardware but Apple, Google, Magic Leap, and many others are investing in this space heavily which means they won’t be the only competitor in this segment for long.

Tagged with HoloLens