What They Say
We previously reported on delays to the implementation of the US military’s plan for the use of IVAS, based on Microsoft’s Hololens, (IVAS US Defence Development Struggling? and US Army Delays Hololens Adoption) and now AV Magazine reports that the US Department of Defense’s Office of the Inspector General has raised doubts about the extent to which HoloLens devices will be used or used as intended. This follows feedback from surveys that showed mixed results.
“Procuring IVAS without attaining user acceptance could result in wasting up to $21.88 billion in taxpayer funds to field a system that soldiers may not want to use or use as intended,”
the OIG said in an audit report.
Others pointed out that night vision goggles were also unpopular with the military early on, but are now used extensively.
What We Think
Of course, there is a lot of money involved in this contract, so the reports could feasibly be intended to make Microsoft more flexible on pricing or terms for the contract which is intended to run for ten years. (BR)
