Microsoft Shares 'Productivity Future Vision' Video

Microsoft's Satya Nadella: What's Changed A Year Later?

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Microsoft has released its latest concept video, "Productivity Future Vision," to demonstrate how it believes technologies will evolve over the coming years.    

According to the video, Microsoft's perception of the future of productivity relies heavily on mobile and holographic technology. Plenty of super-thin tablet devices appear throughout the video, and people are shown wearing earpieces multiple times. 

Digital displays are everywhere. A scuba diver learns about marine wildlife via holography; another woman swipes through pages on a flexible thin-screen tablet that could potentially draw from Microsoft's research on bendable devices.

In addition to smaller handheld products, Microsoft places plenty of focus on large-screen displays. One woman interacts with a glass wall-length touchscreen display in her office and later communicates via video chat on a screen of the same size.

[Microsoft Garage Brings Productivity Apps]

Scientists interact with a massive touchscreen smartboard, manipulating images and text, then conferring with a holographic figure onscreen. They later conduct research using 3D holograms. Both the larger screens and holography seem to evolve from the productivity-focused Surface Hub and Windows HoloLens that debuted during the Windows 10 press event in Redmond.

Regardless of size, it seems like all screens of the future will support digital pen technology. There's even a short clip of a woman tapping a cylinder to seemingly "fill" her pen with digital ink. Perhaps this technology will be the product of Microsoft's reported acquisition of digital pen maker N-trig?

One interesting star of Microsoft's show is the digital cuff that appears around 3:19. Though worn on the wrist, it seems less like a smartwatch and more like Internet-connected jewelry. Its wearer uses the cuff to accept notifications, receive directions, and scan for entry into a building. The wearer then unfolds it for use as a remote control.

Take a look at the other new technologies in Microsoft's video below:

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