A year after Microsoft started shipping its HoloLens mixed reality headset, the company has announced an important milestone. In an announcement today, the company said the product has already had consistent developer support. Indeed, there have already been 150 apps created for the headset.
For someone who has not followed HoloLens, I think that number needs some perspective. While it is possible for anyone to get HoloLens if they have $3,000 lying around, the device is actually only in a developmental stage. The headset is not actually the consumer model that Microsoft plans to launch.
It is also worth noting that mixed and virtual reality is still a nascent market. It is expected to explode in coming years, but right now it is merely a fringe category. There is also the small fact that Microsoft’s product is the only mixed reality device making any major splashes.
With that in mind, gaining developer support to the tune of 150 apps is excellent at best and respectable at worst.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPEVtqtKw0A
Marketing HoloLens
Microsoft corporate vice president of Windows and device, Yusuf Mehdi dropped another announcement today. He says the company is now creating a dedicated marketing team for HoloLens. This suggests Microsoft is going to push the device more in the coming years.
“We are going to ramp up our sales efforts by investing in a dedicated set of sellers and TSPs for FY18. Combined with the significant marketing investment we are making for this coming holiday with mixed reality headsets marketed on Windows 10 PCs by the Windows 10 marketing team, we are set up to have an acceleration of our mixed reality initiative.”
Liz Hamren, former marketing chief at Oculus will head up the team with her experience in this market. Finally, as well as the 150 apps, Microsoft has also introduced numerous services of its own. Indeed, the company is including the product in its Universal Windows Platform (UWP) plans for Windows 10.
HoloLens for Consumers is expected to arrive in 2019.
