Microsoft to discontinue Azure Kinect DK; know how you can still get it

Microsoft is discontinuing Azure Kinect Developer Kit. This is the second time the company has shut down the unit.

Microsoft Kinect was first released in 2010 and in 2017 Microsoft stopped manufacturing depth camera and microphone. (AP)

For those who are using the Microsoft Azure Kinect developer kit, there is bad news. Microsoft is discontinuing it. Microsoft Kinect was first released in 2010 and after 7 years of launch, Microsoft stopped manufacturing depth the camera and microphone before resuming it again.

Discontinuing Azure Kinect DK

After discontinuing Kinect in 2017, Microsoft relaunched it in 2019. It is a connected depth camera that allowed enterprises to manufacture AI vision solutions. It came with a depth sensor, high definition 4K camera, and an array of 7 microphones. According to a blog post by Microsoft, they will be discontinuing Azure Kinect later this year.

The blog post informed that users can continue to use their developer kit without any disruption. However, if you ever wanted to have a Kinect DK, you can still have it, but you have very less time left. Azure Kinect DK will be available in the market till the October end until the stock lasts with Microsoft. You can also have a standard limited hardware warranty on the Kinect DK. If you want a long-term solution for this, you can explore offerings from Microsoft's partners.

Licensed Partners of Microsoft

Microsoft has provided the license of indirect time-of-flight (iToF) depth sensing technology behind Azure Kinect to its hardware partners. So, you can stop worrying if you wanted a device similar to Azure connect as you can still get it.

Microsoft has provided the list of the partners along with the technologies, they have provided the license for: Have a look at them below:

1-The license of Microsoft's pixel and sensor technology has been given to Analog Devices. Analog Devices is processing raw sensor data to generate depth maps.

2-Another partner of Microsoft is SICK A.G. It is a global manufacturer of sensors and sensor solutions for industrial applications.

3-The third partner is Orbbec. They are going to use iToF depth tech in their 3D depth cameras for manufacturing. Orbbec's camera offerings are the same as the depth camera module as Azure Kinect Developer Kit.

So in case you wanted to use the technology, you will still be able to do so.