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
intended for serious developers and commercial partners rather than everyday consumers 4 A GROUNDBREAKING DEVICE The HoloLens is the world’s first self-contained holographic computer It is a circular headset that sits on top of the user’s head like a crown There are two clear lenses over the user’s eyes The device doesn’t need a separate computer smartphone or tablet to work The HoloLens is different from a virtual reality headset With a virtual reality headset the device blocks out the real world and the user is immersed in a completely different world The HoloLens is called a mixed-reality or augmented-reality headset because users can see both the holographic images and their real physical environment at the same time In essence holographic images are layered on top of a user’s surroundings For example a promotional video from Microsoft showed the HoloLens creating holograms of Minecraft environments on top of a kitchen table While wearing the HoloLens the user has access to Microsoft’s Edge web browser Skype video conferencing and a variety of other applications The applications 8
appear as floating windows before the user’s eyes Users of the HoloLens can resize and reposition the holographic images They can walk around the three-dimensional objects and look at the images from any angle TEACHING ANATOMY IN THREE DIMENSIONS Griswold a professor of radiology had been invited to a demonstration of the HoloLens at Microsoft’s top-secret testing facility in 2014 After trying out the HoloLens he realized this new technology could revolutionize the way medical students learn human anatomy Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic were planning to build A REVIEW OF MICROSOFT’S HOLOLENS In 2016 Will Greenwald a senior analyst at PCMag tried out the HoloLens and wrote a review of the device Greenwald found the HoloLens surprisingly intuitive and fleshed out for development hardware He said the holograms were bright and clear and there was an interesting selection of software available on the device However he also found the HoloLens uncomfortable to wear for long periods and felt silly making gestures while using it He said the holograms appeared only in a small section of his vision Greenwald summarized that the HoloLens is a well executed and tempting look at how we might use computers years in the future 5 9 a state-of-the-art health sciences center and wanted to incorporate the latest technological advances Griswold
