Microsoft Hololens 2 headset gets a Windows 11 update
By the end of June, Microsoft says it will offer an optional upgrade for its HoloLens 2 headset that will include Windows 11. HoloLens 2 owners can continue to use Windows 10, but Windows 11 will offer better app performance and some key developer-focused features.
As explained by Robin Seiler, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows and devices, in a blog post, “The free upgrade to Windows 11 promises continuous platform support, meaning our customers can trust in the continued security of their devices.”
“With the upgrade, HoloLens 2 users will continue to receive monthly security servicing updates that reinforce the protection of sensitive information while also improving app performance.”
The update doesn’t appear to bring any big user-facing changes outside of app performance improvement, but it does include a key developer addition.
The new Edge WebView2 control enables developers to easily embed HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into their apps, which should improve web-based applications. It’s the same control Microsoft Teams is moving toward over its current Electron app.
A new annotation feature lets HoloLens 2 users apply 3D drawings anywhere during video calls to illustrate Dynamics 365 Guides. To give businesses better control over mixed reality apps that run on HoloLens 2, Microsoft is also rolling out a “Restricted Mode.”
Seiler says, “This is a significant update for highly confidential facilities looking to enforce stricter access controls around systems and information deployed on HoloLens 2. Companies can better prevent unauthorized access to confidential information and highly sensitive data.”
Following Microsoft’s full Teams integration into HoloLens 2 and the teaser of a HoloLens 3 headset, these latest HoloLens 2 improvements are just one month old.
In December, Scott Evans, Microsoft’s vice president of mixed reality, said, “We’re just looking for the right design point to make it a meaningful update.”
Microsoft’s “hardware portfolio” has changed in the midst of layoffs that have impacted several departments. A HoloLens 3 was scrapped last year, according to reports.
A source familiar with Microsoft’s HoloLens plans told me the company was “evaluating” a next-generation HoloLens headset, although it’s unclear if we’ll see a true HoloLens 2 successor.
