Microsoft is thinking big, and at Build 2016 the people at Redmond gave us a glimpse of the future.

Not surprisingly Microsoft’s augmented reality headset HoloLens made an appearance – CEO Satya Nadella has said the device will figure greatly in the company’s future – at first just to show the crowd what the new developers kit looked like in the box on the first day of its shipping. As Microsoft admitted that the phone business is now ancillary to other ambitions, it is in a groundbreaking device such as HoloLens where Redmond sees us heading in terms of how we use technology down the road.

Microsoft’s Executive Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group, Terry Myerson, as a keynote speaker said as much, “HoloLens mixes holograms into our world, enabling all new ways for us to communicate, create, work and play. It’s the only device that enables holographic computing natively with no markers, no external cameras, no wires, no phone required, and no connection to a PC needed. And customers across industries are embracing the potential of holograms already, including NASA, Case Western Reserve University, Volvo, and more.”

Microsoft did not however reveal when a consumer version of HoloLens will become available.

Talk back to me

Microsoft also talked about two tools (now in preview) to help developers create A.I bots which are part of the Cortana Intelligence Suite – Microsoft may have suffered some setbacks in bot technology concerning the ignominy of its teen-bot Tay acting out on Twitter, but A.I is a big part of Microsoft’s plans.

“The first, Microsoft Cognitive Services, is a collection of intelligence APIs that allows systems to see, hear, speak, understand and interpret our needs using natural methods of communication,” Microsoft said. “The second, the Microsoft Bot Framework, can be used by developers – programming in any language – to build intelligent bots that enable customers to chat using natural language on a wide variety of platforms including text/SMS, Office 365, Skype, Slack, the Web and more.”

We were also introduced to Microsoft’s Skype Bot Platform, which will enable developers to build bots that will take the form of text, voice, or a video and 3-D interactive character. Microsoft said that customers can already get started with Skype Bots by downloading the latest Skype apps for Windows, Android and iOS. “Developers can start building Skype Bots today using the Skype Bot Platform and reach hundreds of millions of Skype users,” Microsoft added.

It’s good to see a company so forward thinking, and while all ambitions don’t reach fruition, creative innovation is an exciting way to go. Microsoft can also take some pride in the fact that Windows 10 is the fastest growing version of Windows ever, rising from 200 million users worldwide in January, to 260 million right now.

Photo credit: Alberto Racatumba via Flickr