"It's no longer just looking at camera view of a factory floor. You can be on the floor. It's no longer just video conferencing with colleagues. You can be with them in the same room," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on November 2 announcing the company's plans for the metaverse. At an event called Microsoft Ignite, the company revealed its efforts to build for the metaverse, including Mesh, an immersive space within Microsoft Teams that lets you interact with avatars of colleagues in a 3D environment. Microsoft's announcement comes days after Facebook announced its corporate rebranding to Meta to represent its focus on the metaverse. If the priorities of big tech companies are any indication, the metaverse might just be the "successor to the internet," even if we don't fully understand it yet. Microsoft announces workplace tools focused on the metaverse "The metaverse enables shared experiences across both the physical and digital worlds," Microsoft said in a blog post outlining how the company understands the concept. Here are two products Microsoft has announced for the metaverse: Dynamics 365 Connected Spaces: This product will allow organisations to use and analyse 'observational data' at a physical location. As an example, with cameras pointed at the entry of a store, the software will be able to collect statistics related to footfall. Microsoft will make Connected Spaces available for preview in December this year. [caption id="attachment_149301" align="alignnone" width="915"] Dynamic 365 Connected Spaces can be used to measure footfall. Image Credits: Microsoft[/caption] Mesh for Microsoft…
