I Bet My Life: Microsoft HoloLens perfectly targets its core competency

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  • Reply 61 of 258
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member

    Apple is being more conservative with their wearables. Even if some people don't wear watches today, there is at least an historical precedent for wearing them, and there isn't with goggles.

     

    But another point is that Apple sells devices to consumers and Microsoft targets business, and in the workplace if everyone is wearing goggles at their desk, there won't be the social pressure that you look like an idiot, like there might be on the street, where Apple is selling to. So Microsoft might have a better chance of making this gadget work than Apple or Google do.

     

    The workplace is less about fashion and more about productivity. If there was a killer workplace app for these (a new entry to the Office suite) that could be a driver for adoption.

  • Reply 62 of 258
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by robbyx View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CanukStorm View Post

     

    "What Apple product is this competing with? "

     

    None, but then why does it have to?  HoloLens, and technologies / technology products like it, represent the future of digital interaction. Give it 5 years.




    5 years?  That seems incredible optimistic.  Personally I found the article rather amusing and very much agree with the vaporware gist.  HoloLens looks interesting, sure, but practical?  Useful?  Yeah, right.  Who is going to wear something like that?  It makes Google Glass seems downright stylish.  That said, I'm glad to see companies like Google and Microsoft pushing the envelope.  Apple seems rather conservative these days by comparison.  Of course, who knows what they're up to in their R&D department.  Apple is never one to show off total vapor products just to get some headlines.  They don't need to.

     

    When you're bordering on totally irrelevant, like Microsoft is today, you have to do something to get attention.  But it's going to be many years before wearables like this are practical, much less mainstream (if ever).  Personally, I can't imagine wearing some sort of augmented reality screen. Maybe when it's inside my sunglasses, but even then I'm not sure.  When I was a kid, technology was so exciting.  Today it's more frightening than anything else.  We're being pushed relentlessly to access, consume, and produce information like never before.  We're supposed to always be connected.  Soon the screen will be in our glasses.  Which will eventually lead to replacing eyeballs with implants.  I'm beginning to think that wearables is where my enthusiasm for technology ends and my genuine fear of the future begins.  Ray Kurzweil is right.  Our future culture will not be biological, but it will be "human."


     

     

    Couldn't have put it better myself.

     

    For me, the whole wearables craze is where I get off. I have quite enough computing stuff with a Mac, iPhone and iPad. I don't want to become a cyborg pathetically attached to a glaring screen on my wrist that looks like an ugly black blob to others most of the time with its screen off. 

  • Reply 63 of 258
    My thoughts were that someone at MS needs to step up and rethink the how's and whys of presentations.

    Perhaps they have lived so long believing their own hype about the infallibility of Powerpoint that how you present and to whom gets very low priority.

    But to include a "One More Thing....", the HoloLens, as a vapor ware demo seems to my eyes such a brain dead achievement, that I have to question Satya's judgement.

    It detracted from the efforts to revive their dying Windows brand and my sense was it sucked whatever oxygen was in that room, out of it. The applause from the tech journalists present, with their Macbook Airs, ironically, was tepid at best.

    The presentations themselves were OK, but just OK. Appealing to the faithful, but for the rest of us... More evidence MS has lost its way some time back and lacks sharpness of focus and excellence of execution. Just Steve J in 1998 asked the Apple faithful to acknowledge MS had lost the desktop war, and for Apple to win MS need not lose, MS needs to acknowledge it ought to work with Apple's iOS not against it. Hence the eventual begrudging porting of its cashcow Office to iOS. But at a time so many have learnt Office is dispensable when better tools are available on one's platform(s) of choice.
  • Reply 64 of 258
    You should be complaining there, not that AI is pointing out the truth. 
    Truth from AI, yes. From you Daniel, not so much.
  • Reply 65 of 258
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member

    Couldn't have put it better myself.

    For me, the whole wearables craze is where I get off. I have quite enough computing stuff with a Mac, iPhone and iPad. I don't want to become a cyborg pathetically attached to a glaring screen on my wrist that looks like an ugly black blob to others most of the time with its screen off. 

    The screen on my iPhone and iPad is off more than it's on. Do those look like ugly black blobs too? And maybe I'm an odd duckling but nobody spends much time looking at my wrists.
  • Reply 66 of 258

    ?


    Quote:
    Live Tile user interface that the market has consistently...Windows 7...

    The Live Tile interfaced never appeared in Windows 7



     

    Quote:

    Even people who love Windows hate Metro

    I don't. Don't assume

     

    Quote:
    ostensibly free OS updates,

    And by "ostensibly" I'm sure you mean "actually". There is consistent proof that it is free. A more accurate statement would be "an OS update that is free for the first year"

     

    Quote:

    AirPlay wireless distribution

    I'm sorry; my feed must have been laggy. When did they mention AirPlay?

     

    Quote:
    and Siri.

    Again, Siri was not mentioned once in the entire conference

     

    Quote:
     These weren't even new features for iOS 7

    No, but a flat, digital interface was ;)


     

    Quote:

    Now it just reuses "Surface" over and over again

    Oh my god, they're using a consistent name to gain brand recognition! How horrible!

    (I don't think I need to mention the Apple Quicktake, the Apple Newton or the Apple Pippin)

     

    Quote:
    It's sort of like the Surface RT

    Ah yes, the Microsoft Hololens that was released, had a touchscreen and a Kickstand and existed halfway between laptop and tablet territory. Yes, they are so  alike

     

    Quote:
    but rather than being a copy of iPad

    The Surface was as much a "copy" of the iPad as the Toyota is of the Mercedes-Benz

     

    Quote:
    paired with the same augmented reality games and visualizations that PrimeSense showed off two years ago (below), before Apple acquired the company in late 2013.

    I don't see how this helps your case at all. What you're saying is that the independent company PrimeSense (who were currently supplying devices to Microsoft) displayed technology that was not invented by Apple, but was rather in their pocket after they acquired the company?

    And if your point is that this is nothing new, then Maybe I should remind you that Apple hasn't really "invented" much either

     

    Quote:
    Last summer, itSeez3D...and it can already do the sort of 3D modeling that Microsoft essentially claimed credit for inventing

    Umm, no. The itSeez3D was a scanner that created virtual versions of real objects that could be uploaded to a computer. The Hololens simply projects virtual images into your line of sight. It's not the same thing

     

    Quote:
    it depicts virtual wall mounted TVs in the user's line of vision (not something you'd do).

    I'm sorry? I believe your job as a reporter is to report information, not to tell me what to do. It's not something you would do. Don't assume

     

    Quote:
    If you're going to walk around your house with goggles on, you'll want to take full advantage of all the pixels on those tiny screens to see whatever TV image you're trying to watch, not reduce the viewable image down to a box that virtually obscures only the part of the wall you have free to virtually mount a TV.

    No, I'd prefer to have my TV stay on the wall, rather than fill up my entire range of view. I imagine it would be hard to walk around like that

     

    Quote:
    The virtual TV in Microsoft's demo would be like watching a tiny video taking up one square inch of your phone's available resolution.

    You know, if you put that one square inch of screen right in front of your eyes, as the screens in the Hololens are, it'll look awfully big

     

    Quote:
    but wearing goggles that create a lower resolution copy of what's on her (presumably professional grade) monitor

    I dunno. That rendering looks pretty hi-res to me. Also consider that the 3D model she is projecting is much larger than the one on her screen, so rendering is an obvious issue

     

    Quote:
    (but its exactly the same sort of thing PrimeSense depicted two years ago). Microsoft is claiming credit for the same augmented reality games and visualizations that PrimeSense showed off two years ago

    I seem to recall a certain quote from Steve Jobs. Something about...stealing? I dunno, my memory isn't too great these days

     

    Quote:
    Google Glass image of somebody she's FaceTiming

    Hololens image of somebody she's Skyping. Honestly, this incessant and unnecessary whining is not endearing or convincing at all

     

    Quote:
    somehow mysteriously fails to cause her to walk into one of those desks, breaking her hip and those expensive glasses.

    The lenses on the Hololens are transparent. Not really such a mystery

     

    Quote:
    (which Microsoft just acquired for youth cred)

    What again was the reason Apple acquired Beats? I can't seem to remember

     

    Quote:
    Next a man builds a 3D model using air gestures rather than just interacting with a mouse. To imagine how insanely frustrating this would be, use a touchscreen PC with Windows 8.1, where you have to use that touchscreen rather than the pointing device. Now imaging that, instead of using a high resolution, precise touchscreen, you have to rely on optical sensors (like the Kinect) coordinated with the motion sensors in your headgear that keep moving your target about.

    Trust me, I've taken many courses in CADD and I can tell you that trying to design a 3D model on a 2D screen with a mouse is infinitely more frustrating than using your hands in a virtual space

    Also, I notice how you completely skipped over the obviously practical use of the Hololens by the JPL. By that would have destroyed the bias of your article, now wouldn't it. Of course, this is an editorial, so you are entitled to your opinion, but if your going to address something address it in its entirety

     

    Quote:
    [Insert garbage about symbolism in the song used in the video]

    Honestly, this isn't the Bible. Don't shoot your arrows and paint your target around them

     

    Quote:
    "The best way to show that difference? Let's take a look at Microsoft's own history."

    Yeah, let's


    • Windows: Runs on 89.5% of computers in the world

    • Microsoft Band: Sold out in a few hours the day after launch

    • Surface Pro 3: YOY growth nearly doubled to $908 million

    If you can be selective, so can I

     

    Quote:
    "the video and demos we've seen are Microsoft's best-case scenarios, and that can often be a very long way from real life."

    That's what an ad for an unreleased product is. To prove my point, I direct your attention to the Apple Watch, another unreleased product that, despite Apples consistent promotion, has issues of its own

     

    Quote:
    Office, the company's other big business, didn't ship in a modern touchscreen edition for iPad until last year, when the iPad was turning four years old.

    Why is this Microsoft's problem? They didn't have to give the iPad a version of Office at all.

     

    Quote:
    and it's hasn't even made it to Microsoft's own tablet platform.

    This link leads to an article comparing Office versions for iOS and Windows Phone 8.

    And this is not necessarily true either. All Windows Tablets (with the exception of the Surface RT, Surface 2 and Nokia 2520) run a full version of Windows, for which there is certainly Office. However, there is not as of yet a touch-optimized version for the Metro-style UI

     

    Quote:
    Also, while Apple shipped four new major releases of OS X and five new editions of iOS since 2010, Microsoft has delivered one major new release of Windows for consumers in the same time frame (and it was a flop). The last major update, Windows 7, shipped in 2009 alongside Apple's fifth.

    So Apple is faster at fixing their problems. Big deal

     

    Quote:
    Band, Surface, Windows Phone, Xbox One and Kinect do not suggest Microsoft's core competency involves any sort of physical goods.

    As I stated before, the Band was actually quite successful. And while the Surface didn't make as much as the iPad, it's recovery is rather impressive. And the Xbox One actually rode out to the top for two straight months last year

     

    Quote:
    Its corporate name sort of hints at that.

    So when can I expect to get watermelons at the Apple Store?

  • Reply 67 of 258
    hamitzyot wrote: »
    Where did Microsoft take credit for any of this? As I seem to recall, Apple is famous for claiming they "invented" things, such as the tele-touchy thing on the Apple Watch
    And for another thing, you'd do better to actually meet the terms of Crowley's argument, rather than just bulldozing over their entire comment with ad hominems, swears and assumptions
    You'll find out soon enough that that's Daniel's trademark. Ad hominems, profanity & childish insults all under sockpuppet aliases.
  • Reply 68 of 258
    iaeeniaeen Posts: 588member
    That's a very interesting quote, and it applies to the Apple Watch, too.

    It seemed to me that Cook made a big point of saying that he couldn't wait to see what developers come up with, yet there was no compelling breakout functionality at the keynote, whereas the iPhone and iPad both had unique selling points. In another small but significant way, like he did when he announced that the Apple Watch sales wouldn't be revealed in the earnings reports, Cook is absolving himself and Apple of some responsibility by putting some of the burden for its success onto third-party developers. 

    It's this lack of compelling selling points that is the real death blow to the Watch, even more than the clunky, dated looks, the limited battery life and limited functions, like the lack of GPS.

    Cook certainly did say that, but I don't think it's fair to say it was one of their big points. They spent more time talking about fitness tracking, how it expands the functionality of the iPhone with taptic feedback, and connecting with others on a more intimate level.

    In my mind, as well as the minds of many, these are compelling selling points. I plan on buying the Apple Watch, and I couldn't care less if it has any extra apps or not. That being said, I do look forward to being presently surprised when I do find people making apps that I can't live without.
  • Reply 69 of 258
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Corrections View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post

     

     

    That's a very interesting quote, and it applies to the Apple Watch, too.

     

    It seemed to me that Cook made a big point of saying that he couldn't wait to see what developers come up with, yet there was no compelling breakout functionality at the keynote, whereas the iPhone and iPad both had unique selling points. 




    The three features of Apple Watch are its fitness tracking, personal sketch/taptic/heartbeat communications and glance able notifications on a watch. These were detailed at length during the iPhone 6 event.


     

     

    Sure, but they don't seem to me to have the mass appeal of the iOS devices, at least, not for the asking price. 

     

    To look at it another way: what devices will the Apple Watch be replacing? The iPhone and iPad replaced any number of devices that we previously owned. But very few people own any fitness tracking or health device, and the glance-able notifications are really just a slightly more convenient duplication of iPhone functionality. Even the watch has been replaced by the iPhone or mobile phone for most people. The feature that I like the sound of most is the taptic feedback for maps; it’s not enough to sway me, though. At any rate, Apple could introduce that technology to the iPhone.

     

    My fear is that the failure of the Watch may harm Apple's reputation; it’s obviously going to have little effect on their finances in that event. May I be proved wrong!

  • Reply 70 of 258
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post

     
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post





    Couldn't have put it better myself.



    For me, the whole wearables craze is where I get off. I have quite enough computing stuff with a Mac, iPhone and iPad. I don't want to become a cyborg pathetically attached to a glaring screen on my wrist that looks like an ugly black blob to others most of the time with its screen off. 




    The screen on my iPhone and iPad is off more than it's on. Do those look like ugly black blobs too? And maybe I'm an odd duckling but nobody spends much time looking at my wrists.

     

     

    Well, my iPhone has a nice, leather case, and my iPad a Smart Cover, so I don't see the black screen.

     

    Re the Watch: I wouldn't want to constantly see a black screen on my wrist. I just don't think a plain, black, rectangular screen looks attractive on anyone's wrist.

  • Reply 71 of 258
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,695member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post

     

     

    That's a very interesting quote, and it applies to the Apple Watch, too.

     

    It seemed to me that Cook made a big point of saying that he couldn't wait to see what developers come up with, yet there was no compelling breakout functionality at the keynote, whereas the iPhone and iPad both had unique selling points. In another small but significant way, like he did when he announced that the Apple Watch sales wouldn't be revealed in the earnings reports, Cook is absolving himself and Apple of some responsibility by putting some of the burden for its success onto third-party developers. 

     

    It's this lack of compelling selling points that is the real death blow to the Watch, even more than the clunky, dated looks, the limited battery life and limited functions, like the lack of GPS.


    "....Cook is absolving himself and Apple of some responsibility by putting some of the burden for its success onto third-party developers. "

     

    Platforms live and die by 3rd party developers.  No one company can develop all the cool software.  It's how Windows (for PC and lapto), iOS, and Android all became every successful.  That's reality.

  • Reply 72 of 258
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,695member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post

     

     

     

    Sure, but they don't seem to me to have the mass appeal of the iOS devices, at least, not for the asking price. 

     

    To look at it another way: what devices will the Apple Watch be replacing? The iPhone and iPad replaced any number of devices that we previously owned. But very few people own any fitness tracking or health device, and the glance-able notifications are really just a slightly more convenient duplication of iPhone functionality. Even the watch has been replaced by the iPhone or mobile phone for most people. The feature that I like the sound of most is the taptic feedback for maps; it’s not enough to sway me, though. At any rate, Apple could introduce that technology to the iPhone.

     

    My fear is that the failure of the Watch may harm Apple's reputation; it’s obviously going to have little effect on their finances in that event. May I be proved wrong!


    The killer feature of Apple Watch, or any smart watch is convenience so that you don't always have the hassle of pulling out your smartphone.

  • Reply 73 of 258

    I dunno, this article has an aura of slightly apple-fan double standards.  I think my biggest issue, just starting from one of the first points of the article, is this ridicule for them showcasing something that's been done before.  Hasn't apple done that?  From as low level to all the "new" stuff in iOS8 to high level things like touch screens/displays.  Apple's been really great at repackaging existing technology into something customers want.  No question about that.  But I feel like if we're going to hammer MSFT for repackaging old tech, maybe Apple deserves some of this too?

     

    Maybe this tech doesn't get off the ground.  But it certainly has potential.  I think the video showcased some great ideas for it.  I mean, I think it could really do some crazy stuff to online shopping.  What does that sofa look in my living room?  I dunno, let's just cast a lifelike image in to my room!  How do these pants look on me?  Let's put on this headset in front of a mirror and find out!

     

    It has potential.  It's super cool to hate Microsoft, I know.  Might it fall flat on its face or never see the light of day?  Sure.  But I think a different tone here at least TRYING to understand where it could go, etc., would go a long way.  

  • Reply 74 of 258
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CanukStorm View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post

     

     

     

    Sure, but they don't seem to me to have the mass appeal of the iOS devices, at least, not for the asking price. 

     

    To look at it another way: what devices will the Apple Watch be replacing? The iPhone and iPad replaced any number of devices that we previously owned. But very few people own any fitness tracking or health device, and the glance-able notifications are really just a slightly more convenient duplication of iPhone functionality. Even the watch has been replaced by the iPhone or mobile phone for most people. The feature that I like the sound of most is the taptic feedback for maps; it’s not enough to sway me, though. At any rate, Apple could introduce that technology to the iPhone.

     

    My fear is that the failure of the Watch may harm Apple's reputation; it’s obviously going to have little effect on their finances in that event. May I be proved wrong!


    The killer feature of Apple Watch, or any smart watch is convenience so that you don't always have the hassle of pulling out your smartphone.


     

     

    You may be right.

     

    For me, pulling out my iPhone is not much of a hassle. 

  • Reply 75 of 258
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CanukStorm View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post

     

     

     

    Sure, but they don't seem to me to have the mass appeal of the iOS devices, at least, not for the asking price. 

     

    To look at it another way: what devices will the Apple Watch be replacing? The iPhone and iPad replaced any number of devices that we previously owned. But very few people own any fitness tracking or health device, and the glance-able notifications are really just a slightly more convenient duplication of iPhone functionality. Even the watch has been replaced by the iPhone or mobile phone for most people. The feature that I like the sound of most is the taptic feedback for maps; it’s not enough to sway me, though. At any rate, Apple could introduce that technology to the iPhone.

     

    My fear is that the failure of the Watch may harm Apple's reputation; it’s obviously going to have little effect on their finances in that event. May I be proved wrong!


    The killer feature of Apple Watch, or any smart watch is convenience so that you don't always have the hassle of pulling out your smartphone.


     

     

    You may be right.

     

    For me, pulling out my iPhone is not much of a hassle. 




    It may not be exactly a hassle but, having been using a Pebble Steel for nearly a year now, I can say that I really appreciate that functionality. Adding the biometrics, ApplePay etc., that the iWatch will include makes it even more attractive.

  • Reply 76 of 258
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,695member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post

     

     

     

    You may be right.

     

    For me, pulling out my iPhone is not much of a hassle. 


    Put another way, think of Apple Watch as the Hub for your Notifications.

  • Reply 77 of 258

    Im as big an Apple fan as anybody, but its tiring to see other Apple fans sling vitriol at other companies actually trying different and new things.

     

    Apple hasn't done shit since the iPhone other than MOARZ THIN

  • Reply 78 of 258

    ?Quote:


    Originally Posted by CanukStorm View Post

     

    The killer feature of Apple Watch, or any smart watch is convenience so that you don't always have the hassle of pulling out your smartphone.


    Ah yes. I love the convenience of charging my devices every day

  • Reply 79 of 258
    Interesting. Seems some posts have been edited....
  • Reply 80 of 258
    larryalarrya Posts: 606member

    Surface Pro 3 costs $800-$1800. So $900M in revenue means they sold fewer than 1M and are actively losing money on the third generation of a product that so far has done nothing but accrue massive write off losses in excess of its revenues. 

    True, but that was 3 months ago, and I know they're moving units because Best Buy was out of stock when my wife went to get one.
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