PIONEERING MIXED-REALITY TECHNOLOGY the first time Mark Griswold a professor at Microsoft’s HoloLens around his head the Case Western Reserve University strapped experience was breathtaking I immediately knew my world had changed that day he later said in a National Geographic article 1 When he put on the HoloLens Griswold saw a vivid three-dimensional hologram of the surface of Mars projected over his view of the real world It was as if Griswold were standing on top of a mountain on the Red Planet itself A National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA scientist was standing next to him and the two men could chat and interact together But the scientist was a holographic image too Microsoft’s HoloLens packs sophisticated computing and display technology into a compact headset 5
The HoloLens technology beamed in the scientist from a different location SETTING THE STANDARD The HoloLens offers an intriguing glimpse into the future of computing It is just one example of how Microsoft is at the forefront of developing new and advanced computer technologies In its more than 40-year history the company has made a name for itself by creating technologies that change the way people live and work In its early years Microsoft’s creation of the Windows operating system and its Office software set industry standards and helped popularize the use of personal computers in homes and businesses around the world Microsoft’s Windows operating system is the company’s best-known and most widely used product 6
Today the extraordinary popularity and dominance of Microsoft’s products continues By 2017 its Windows 10 operating system was active on more than 500 million devices around the world More than 100 million people used Microsoft’s Office 365 software at work whereas 27 million consumers used Office 365 MICROSOFT BY THE NUMBERS In 2017 Microsoft reported 89 5 billion in revenue The company employed 128,290 people in March 2018 Of those employees 75,910 lived in the United States In the state of Washington alone Microsoft had 47,679 employees 3 at home In gaming more than 53 million members were active on Xbox Live the company’s online gaming service 2 Devices such as the HoloLens capture people’s imagination about where computers will take them in the future Microsoft is a pioneer in the field of mixed-reality technology It announced the development of the HoloLens in 2015 The device became available to developers and commercial partners in the United States and Canada in 2016 Later that year it became available in other countries too including Australia France Germany Ireland New Zealand and the United Kingdom With a 3,000 price tag this early version of the HoloLens was 7
