Today, I am thrilled to announce an important milestone for Microsoft HoloLens and our mixed reality journey.

On behalf of everyone on the team, Kudo and I would like to welcome developers and commercial enterprises from Australia, Ireland, France, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to experience mixed reality through HoloLens. Starting today, HoloLens will be available for pre-order in each of these countries.

In welcoming these six new countries, October 12, 2016 marks another major milestone for us. Each of these moments bring us closer to a more personal way of interacting with technology. They empower us to go further together, making it possible for people to communicate, create and collaborate more easily than ever before:

January 21, 2015: we introduced Microsoft HoloLens, the world’s first and still only, self-contained holographic computer. We shared our vision for what is possible when you bring holograms into our world and we demonstrated how holograms have the potential to revolutionize the way we work, communicate, learn and play.

March 30, 2016: we shipped HoloLens in the United States and Canada and invited developers and organizations to step away from the 2D confines of monitors and pixels to explore what’s possible when technology enters our physical world. We also celebrated our existing partners, organization across a wide range of industries, who moved pilots created specifically for mixed reality and our holographic landscape into production.

June 1, 2016: we announced that mixed reality is coming to PCs. We invited our virtual reality partners to join us, so that together we could break down the barriers between virtual and physical reality. We combined Windows Holographic with the power of the PC and all its Virtual Reality innovation to enable new mixed reality experiences that are simply not possible on any other platform. Together we created the most complete offering across the widest set of devices, ranging from fully immersive virtual reality to fully untethered holographic computing.

Since our January 2015 debut our team has been hard at work empowering developers and organizations to bring the vision of mixed reality to life. It’s been fascinating to see what has been created by our commercial partners and the team remains in awe of the way developers are using HoloLens. Over 80 exclusive mixed reality apps are now available in the Windows Store. Developers are turning floors into lava, creating aquariums in our living rooms, setting off mixed reality fireworks, and creating new ways to improve the quality of life for humanity through the power of holograms. I couldn’t be more proud that Windows is leading the way through the innovation of our partners and customers.

When we set out to pioneer mixed reality we knew that many of the best innovations would be discovered only when developers and organizations started developing with HoloLens. As a creator, there is no better feeling than empowering others to let their imagination run wild with innovation. It has been nothing short of inspiring to see what our partners have built and what individual developers have created. Together, we have only scratched the surface for what mixed reality can do. I can’t wait to see what happens next as we welcome these new countries to our holographic landscape.

For everyone joining us in our six new countries, welcome! I am looking forward to seeing what you dream and create, as you join the growing set of people and organizations whose passion and ingenuity are changing the future of computing. If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on twitter @akipman. I’m excited to build this future together with you.

If you are looking to join our mixed reality journey in any of our eight markets, you can purchase a HoloLens NOW from the Microsoft Store.

Alex