Earlier this year, we reported that Microsoft’s next-gen HoloLens device is expected to come out sometime in early 2019. Microsoft originally planned to show the device off later this year, and that’s not the case anymore.
According to a new report from Brad (that’s Brad Sams), the company has now changed its plans following development hurdles. Redmond is now targeting a late Q2 2019 release for the next-gen HoloLens, instead of the original plan to show the device off later this year.
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Brad reports that Microsoft is focusing heavily on localized-AI with the new upgrade to the HoloLens, which has apparently increased the difficulty of making the device. We already know that the device — codenamed Sydney — will include a lighter, smaller design, a wider field of view, longer battery life, and be more comfortable to wear. The new headset is also expected to be significantly cheaper than the original HoloLens.
With Apple investing heavily on AR and other companies like Magic Leap starting to ship their own AR headset, Microsoft’s new HoloLens has a lot of competition, at least in the consumer sector. Apple has invested a ton into ARKit, and all the amazing AR experiences that are available on your iPhone right now could come to an intuitive AR headset anytime soon. And for Microsoft, that’s a lot to worry about.