Microsoft sought to put itself back at the cutting edge of the technology industry on Wednesday as it unveiled a headset that overlays holograms of imaginary objects on to the real world, alongside an upgrade to its Windows operating system.
Called HoloLens, the device could be on sale before the end of this year and is intended as a breakthrough gadget to steal the thunder from rivals such as Google and Facebook and reignite interest in the Windows operating system.
Microsoft also took a step back from the business model that has long underpinned its fortunes as it announced that the next version of Windows will be available as a free upgrade to many existing customers.