Defining Mixed Reality: Microsoft Launches HoloLens Augmented Reality Headset

In June 2015, at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, USA, Microsoft officially introduced the HoloLens augmented reality (AR) headset to developers and commercial users. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), HoloLens focused on Mixed Reality (MR), superimposing digital holograms onto the real world.

The launch of this product established Microsoft's first-mover advantage in future industries—especially enterprise computing and industrial digitalization—opening a new front in the competition for the Future World computing platform. It redefined the possibilities of human-computer interaction, particularly in applications across engineering, healthcare, and education.