Microsoft HoloLens 2 runs ARM (Snapdragon 850), smaller and lighter

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Running ARM and UWP applications only, there is a common thread from Windows 10 Mobile to the new HoloLens 2, even if this Mixed Reality solution is aimed squarely at enterprise and business. It's smaller and lighter than the 2016 original, which ran on the x86 platform (i.e. was a scaled down Intel PC).

From the Microsoft blog post:

Our customers asked us to focus on three key areas to make HoloLens even better. They wanted HoloLens 2 to be even more immersive and more comfortable, and to accelerate the time-to-value.

Immersion is greatly enhanced by advancements across the board, including in the visual display system, making holograms even more vibrant and realistic. We have more than doubled the field of view in HoloLens 2, while maintaining the industry-leading holographic density of 47 pixels per degree of sight. HoloLens 2 contains a new display system that enables us to achieve these significant advances in performance at low power. We have also completely refreshed the way you interact with holograms in HoloLens 2. Taking advantage of our new time-of-flight depth sensor, combined with built-in AI and semantic understanding, HoloLens 2 enables direct manipulation of holograms with the same instinctual interactions you’d use with physical objects in the real world. In addition to the improvements in the display engine and direct manipulation of holograms, HoloLens 2 contains eye-tracking sensors that make interacting with holograms even more natural. You can log in with Windows Hello enterprise-grade authentication through iris recognition, making it easy for multiple people to quickly and securely share the device.

Comfort is enhanced by a more balanced center of gravity, the use of light carbon-fiber material and a new mechanism for donning the device without readjusting. We’ve improved the thermal management with new vapor chamber technology and accounted for the wide physiological variability in the size and shape of human heads by designing HoloLens 2 to comfortably adjust and fit almost anyone. The new dial-in fit system makes it comfortable to wear for hours on end, and you can keep your glasses on because HoloLens 2 adapts to you by sliding right over them. When it’s time to step out of mixed reality, flip the visor up and switch tasks in seconds. Together, these enhancements have more than tripled the measured comfort and ergonomics of the device.

HoloLens 2 will be available this year at a price of $3500 and equivalent prices in Japan, China, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Australia and New Zealand. Bundles including Dynamics 365 Remote Assist start at $125/month. Customers can preorder HoloLens 2 starting today at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/buy.

So yes, Windows 10 UWP applications on a Snapdragon 850 (ARM) all round, in Mixed Reality. Still, the closest most of us will get to one of these is in our place of employment, I suspect, you won't see these in the High Street!

Source / Credit: Microsoft