One year ago to this very date, Microsoft announced that the first HoloLens devices had started shipping worldwide. Today, Alex Kipman, Technical Fellow at Microsoft, took to the Windows Devices blog to mark the occasion, highlighting how far the HoloLens program has come in the past 365 days.
According to Kipman, in the one year since HoloLens started shipping, over 150 exclusive mixed reality apps have become available in the Windows Store. Additionally, HoloLens has also expanded to other markets, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, France, Germany, New Zealand, United Kingdom, with plans to ship to China this summer. Kipman also points to the fact that Microsoft has expanded the promise of mixed reality by making it attainable for everyone through Windows Mixed Reality. Of course, there is also some vague mention of what’s in store for the future of HoloLens.
In the coming year, you will begin to hear more about HoloLens and Windows Mixed Reality headsets coexisting, making collaboration across devices magical. While we always had dreams for HoloLens and the universe of mixed reality, we knew that some of the greatest innovations would come from the creativity, talent and unique perspectives from our broader community.
Kipman also highlights a few HoloLens projects from the community, such as HoloGuide (for navigating low visibility environments), HoloHear (speech to sign language interpreter), and Teotri (an app to teach Piano.) Kipman is especially thankful for this community, Microsoft’s commercial partners, and Agency Readiness Partners. He writes:
To every developer who has a HoloLens and is working to create within the world of mixed reality, thank you for your passion and imagination. You are an inspiration to me and everyone on the team. It has been incredible to see what our commercial partners have done, how they have used HoloLens to transform their businesses. In addition, we’re so very proud of the great work from our Agency Readiness Partners, which have built fantastic, compelling solutions for organizations such as Major League Soccer, Paccar, Stanford Medical School, Skanska and more.
With Build 2017 just around the corner in May, we no doubt could very exciting HoloLens announcements in the future. What is your favorite HoloLens memory from the past year? Could it be the fan-made HoloLens Pokemon RPG? Or is it the fact that HoloLens can make you become an android from the future? Check out our HoloLens news hub for all the details, and let us know what you think by dropping us a comment below!
