The wait for HoloLens is (kind of) almost over. In an interview with the BBC, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that HoloLens V1 will be available for developers within the next year. Consumers will have to wait around five years, though, before the augmented reality headset is released publicly.
The device works by overlaying digital graphics onto real world objects with a custom version of Windows specifically for augmented reality use. The person wearing the HoloLens can see a virtual screen and manipulate it in various ways.
Nadella cites issues with ‘field of view’ as the main reason for delaying a public release. As Microsoft has explained before, HoloLens currently only works properly when you look in the dead center of your vision; the effect is lost on the wearer's peripheral vision. Some reports have found this annoying, while others say it’s barely noticeable, but it is the main issue that needs attention.
Microsoft hopes that HoloLens will usher them into the niche market of augmented reality and graphics manipulations, and they already have companies interested.
One example is Autodesk, a software company, that plans to make its 3D modeling software interoperable with HoloLens. Trimble Buildings is another company that announced a partnership with Microsoft HoloLens. They see the device as a way to extend interaction with 3D models, and as an opportunity for architects, engineers, contractors to work on buildings in a new way.
HoloLens is one of those technologies with seemingly endless applications in countless industries, and once the release day rolls around we’ll begin to see how it can be used in real life.
