HoloLens 2, sources say powered by Windows Core Operating System, focuses on promotion of Azure in enterprises, offers subscription bundles starting at $125/mo
Microsoft announces the introduction … Dave Lee / Notes from Silicon Valley : Microsoft doubles down on the only AR use case that makes sense (so far) Thetuvix / Microsoft Docs : Spatial anchors — A spatial anchor represents an important point … Billy Steele / Engadget : Watch Microsoft's HoloLens 2 event at 12PM ET! Leo Kelion / BBC : Microsoft HoloLens 2 augmented reality headset unveiled Tweets: Mary Jo Foley / @maryjofoley : Why Microsoft's #Hololens2 is really more about the cloud and software than the hardware. (There are new Azure services and HL2 subscription pricing, too): http://www.zdnet.com/... #MWC19 Jeff Powers / @jrpowers : Excellent coverage on HoloLens 2. This is the right path for AR over the next few years. http://twitter.com/... Ben Bajarin / @benbajarin : The cross platform part of this is really where this is all heading. Still early days but then trend lines on how we get to more mainstream AR experiences seems clear. Just going to take much longer than most realize. http://twitter.com/... @boschglobal : Our Common #AugmentedReality Platform (CAP) is now available for HoloLens 2. Bosch is one of the first companies worldwide to use and test the mixed reality smartglasses as part of a strategic cooperation: http://www.bosch-presse.de/... #MWC19 http://twitter.com/... Daniel Rubino / @daniel_rubino : HoloLens 2 has the ability to shrink and project your very own @alexkipman But seriously, what an amazing presentation today. HoloLens is a legit business now and someday you may be wearing one of these for work. More thoughts on this later, I have... https://www.instagram.com/... pic.twitter.com/Qd1ehnT9DE Archana Iyer / @archanabiyer : So excited to finally share what my team has been working hard on for the last few months! We now support cross device shared holograms! #spatialanchors #hololens2 http://twitter.com/... Bob Burrough / @bob_burrough : The Hololens 2 announcement is a huge step back from the sky-high hype of four years ago. https://youtu.be/... Daniel Rubino / @daniel_rubino : HoloLens 2: 1. Open Store model. Anyone can build a store on HoloLens 2. 2. Firefox Reality is native on HoloLens 3. Open Platform, XR, API model so anyone can contribute. Lance Ulanoff / @lanceulanoff : Spatial Anchor means a hologram can exist in a real place in space so multiple people can collaborate on a single hologram. One wears HoloLens 2, the other person holds an iPad. The enabling app is Viewforia. #MWC2019 pic.twitter.com/4G4084Uq0s M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : HoloLens 2 actually *looks* pretty decent in so far as these things go. Has the whole Endor-vibe going on. (via @verge) http://twitter.com/... Avi Greengart / @greengart : The enterprise use cases for self-contained, wearable AR are endless. The main issues with HoloLens 1.0 were limited FOV (field of view) and limited distribution at launch. /2 Kyle Kinkade / @kinkadius : To be clear: 1. Hololens 2 is not publicly open to developers or games 2. Hololens 2 costs more than the @magicleap ML1 @microsoft made theirs for the enterprise, #magicleap made theirs for everyone. #AR #VR #MixedReality Eli Blumenthal / @eliblumenthal : At $3,500 HoloLens 2 is still very much enterprise focused but damn if this doesn't look closer to the future with every update. #HoloLens2 James Peckham / @jamesrwp : It's unlikely you'll ever use Microsoft HoloLens 2, but it looks to be an incredible education and enterprise tool https://www.techradar.com/... Danny Palmer / @dannyjpalmer : Mattel demonstrating the use of #HoloLens2 in a collaborative enterprise environment to help make toys. #MWC19 pic.twitter.com/XJSql0KdW6 Danny Palmer / @dannyjpalmer : #HoloLens2 hard hat used by construction firm Trimble. #MWC19 pic.twitter.com/N0K1B102Gn Mike Murphy / @mcwm : the entire pitch for HoloLens 2 is for enterprise customers, and Microsoft's brought a string of clients onstage to show that It's smart and definitely the right play, but the amount of meaningless jargon flying around is killing me actionable insights driving value solutions Mary Jo Foley / @maryjofoley : More on Azure Spatial Anchors, Remote Rendering for HoloLens and iOS, Android devices: http://www.zdnet.com/... #MWC19 Owen Williams / @ow : Hololens 2 sounds like a big step forward from last generation... but also directly targeted at Enterprise and nothing more http://www.cnet.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
The subscription news lands one day after Microsoft's $3,500 ARM-powered HoloLens 2 debut, and it reframes what the product actually is: sources say the headset runs Windows Core OS, and the surrounding coverage — including Mary Jo Foley's read that HoloLens 2 is more about cloud and software than hardware — points to new Azure services wrapped around the device.
That framing matches where the story went next: within months, companies like Kenworth, ZF, and Team Inc. were running HoloLens with Teams for frontline training, validating the enterprise-first bet Nadella set out back in 2015 — though a 2022 retrospective concluded Microsoft spurned its early AR lead and ceded ground to Meta.
First-order effects
- Enterprise buyers shift from a one-time $3,500 device purchase to $125/month bundles that tie each headset to Azure services, making Microsoft's cloud the billing and delivery layer for AR deployments.
- Running on Windows Core OS makes HoloLens 2 a managed endpoint Microsoft can update and service independently of legacy Windows.
Second-order effects
- Rival headset makers are pushed to compete on attached cloud services rather than hardware specs alone, since Microsoft's pricing anchors AR value in recurring Azure revenue instead of unit sales.
- Azure gains a new enterprise surface: spatial-anchor-style services give developers a reason to build AR applications against Microsoft's cloud rather than a neutral platform.
Third-order effects
- If the bundle model holds, AR headsets consolidate into Azure endpoints — hardware priced as an entry fee to cloud contracts — which is the structure the 2022 retrospective implicitly tested, finding Microsoft ceded its lead to Meta when investment and staffing lagged behind the ambition.
- Enterprise AR's center of gravity shifts from consumer hardware races to frontline-worker deployments of the kind Kenworth, ZF, and Team Inc. adopted, narrowing the market to buyers who already run Microsoft clouds.
The trend: Enterprise AR is being repositioned from standalone hardware sales to cloud-subscription bundles, with the headset functioning as an Azure endpoint.