With the help of AI, the future is delivering us an astounding vision of how we will work, meet, chat, cooperate, and use applications, files, and data. It used to be more of a case of me doing something and us having a meeting. We'll be doing everything together in Metaverse all of the time.
This is already evident in the Microsoft Cloud, and it will become even more so in the near future. While you could reply, "Isn't this what we do already?" it isn't the whole picture: it will expand, become more adaptable, and have several dimensions: I'm talking about the Metaverse.
Microsoft Teams plays a significant part in Microsoft's Metaverse, as it is the Metaverse's user interface for the majority of business users. Teams are the heart of the workplace, and they serve as a focal point for people who are working together, collaborating, performing work, and, of course, meeting with others. Its importance has only grown as a result of the hybrid world and work. Mesh for Teams will make entering the immersive Metaverse and meeting Experience a breeze.
However, there is a significant difference in the image sized with Metaverse: Teams is not the only way to use it. Teams has grown a lot in 2021, and it is now a major player: 250 million people use it on a monthly basis for business, learning, education, and socializing. All of these users are utilizing Microsoft Teams to access Microsoft's Metaverse.
The Metaverse isn't going anywhere.
Mesh for Teams was presented in such a way at Ignite 2021 that it sparked my imagination, but it required some time and a lot of debate to fully grasp what this means and where it may lead us. It's not just about avatars or meeting cameras; it's about the future possibilities.
In an article on GatesNotes.com, Bill Gates mentioned the following
I think we’ll soon start to see an even bigger shift. People shouldn’t assume that the quality of the software that lets you have virtual experiences will stay the same. The acceleration of innovation is just starting.
Within the next two or three years, I predict most virtual meetings will move from 2D camera image grids—which I call the Hollywood Squares model, although I know that probably dates me—to the metaverse, a 3D space with digital avatars. Both Facebook and Microsoft recently unveiled their visions for this, which gave most people their first view of what it will look like.
"Microsoft aims to roll out an intermediate version next year, which uses your webcam to animate an avatar that's used in the existing 2D set-up," Bill Gates says in the same piece. Which looks like a fantastic method to combine reality and virtual reality with your webcam. There's no need for any special technology or even a VR headset.
Mesh for Teams will be in public preview during H1/2022, Microsoft announced at Ignite November 2021.
The metaverse is here, and it’s not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, at Microsoft Ignite 2021
