On October 9th Patently Apple reported that Microsoft had killed the Windows phone. While there's a long shot chance they could modify their strategy and include telephony with the new Windows + Qualcomm devices launching at the end of the month in London, it's probably not going to happen. The latest device on the chopping block is Kinect for Xbox One.

Kinect was first released in 2010 and according to an article posted on Co. Design today, Microsoft has stopped manufacturing the Kinect. The source of this news is from Alex Kipman, creator of the Kinect, and Matthew Lapsen, GM of Xbox Devices Marketing. I guess that would make it official.

Unless there's a twist to the story, like Kinect will be made by a Microsoft hardware partner that they're not revealing today, the news must have been a shock for many at Microsoft considering that on Sunday the Official Microsoft Blog announced "exciting news" about the "next chapter for Kinect." The news was that the Windows SDK 2.0 was now available for the Kinect v2 sensors, and developers could commercially deploy Kinect apps in the Windows Store for the first time." Nothing like keeping your team in the dark and making them look royally stupid.

Of course the technology behind the original Kinect came from the Israeli company PrimeSense who Apple acquired in 2013. Apple's new TrueDepth camera likely utilizes their depth camera and scanner technology. With PrimeSense out of the picture, it seemed to be the writing on the wall for Kinect. It's surprising it lasted for so long.

According to the article, the HoloLens still utilizes some of the Kinect technology, so some of the project may survive. To read about the sad history of this project that never connected (or is that kinnected) with the public, read the full Co. Design report here.

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