Microsoft has done a lot with HoloLens and its successor, HoloLens 2, in the time both products have been available to the public. However, even with the line’s accomplishments, a HoloLens 3 may not be in the cards.
According to a report by Business Insider, HoloLens 3 has been scrapped by Microsoft and the HoloLens team is trapped in a state of perpetual confusion and uncertainty over what the long-term goals of existing plans are. As a result, teammates are leaving Microsoft to pursue augmented reality positions at rival companies such as Meta, a development that was documented before this report.
Some of the HoloLens team believe the focus should remain on hardware innovation efforts, like has been seen with the U.S. Army’s IVAS contract, which holds the potential to net Microsoft up to $22 billion in exchange for its delivery of soldier-attuned HoloLens variants. That project has been delayed, reportedly because Microsoft has been thus far unable to produce a combat-ready device.
Another camp of HoloLens teammates want to focus on the metaverse, a space the company allegedly still doesn’t have a clear vision for. According to the sources Insider spoke with, this split in focus has resulted in constant assignment and vision changes to a point where little has time to properly cohede.
On top of those woes is the added complication of Microsoft’s partnership with Samsung, which is said to be diluting the HoloLens team’s focus even more by pulling resources from existing issues in need of addressing. According to one source, Samsung wants Microsoft to focus on the software side while it handles the hardware, which has not sat well with some parties. The start of this partnership marks the approximate death date of the HoloLens 3, based on the report’s timeline.
What all of the aforementioned information means for the future of HoloLens remains unclear.
