A few weeks ago, Microsoft researchers unveiled Hyperlapse — an impressive project that turns first-person videos into smooth, stable time-lapse scenes using some advanced computer science. They released a research paper at the respected SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference, promising that they’re working hard to create a Hyperlapse app for Windows.
It’s very cool stuff, as you can see in this video explainer from Microsoft.
Last week, Facebook’s Instagram unveiled Hyperlapse — a slick new app for iOS that turns videos into stable time-lapse scenes, using advanced algorithms of its own. Instagram released the app on the same day it was announced, and it quickly became a viral hit, shooting up the App Store rankings and generating interest around the world as users unleashed some impressive Hyperlapse videos.
Here is an official video from Instagram introducing the app.
Paging Satya Nadella!
“Hyperlapse” is actually a term used in the industry, so it’s not a complete surprise that both companies would use the name. A trademark spat is not likely. Maybe the comparison is unfair.
But the timing of the unveilings, and the stark contrast in approach, should be a wake-up call for Microsoft’s new CEO.
Microsoft rightfully takes pride in its advanced research group, which consists of more than 1,100 engineers and computer scientists tackling some of the world’s toughest technical and societal challenges. Microsoft Research executives can point to countless examples of their researchers’ work making its way into Microsoft products, from Windows to Kinect and beyond.
But Microsoft seems to repeatedly get beaten to market by other companies independently launching products similar to projects being incubated in the Redmond company’s research labs. This has happened in the past with everything from multi-touch mice to new Windows features.
Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO for just six months, has vowed to make the company more nimble and responsive to the market. “We will streamline the engineering process and reduce the amount of time and energy it takes to get things done,” he wrote in a memo to employees last month. “You can expect to have fewer processes but more focused and measurable outcomes.”
Apart from making a large round of job cuts — a first step in streamlining engineering — Nadella has taken other steps to change the company’s culture, such as replacing the rah-rah Microsoft employee meeting with a two-day hands-on hackathon, in which employees build new projects instead. In another culture shift, he’s encouraging the company to expand its scope beyond Windows.
But somewhere along the way, he’ll need to take a hard look at Microsoft Research, and figure out how to better leverage some of the smartest people in computer science.
This not a knock on Microsoft’s Hyperlapse researchers, who have clearly made breakthroughs with their work, and have been gracious in the face of questions about the Instagram Hyperlapse app.
Nice work @instagram! For those asking, our @msftresearch #hyperlapse work is on wearable videocams. More to come on that front. Stay tuned!
— Johannes Kopf (@JPKopf) August 26, 2014
The bigger issue is not easy, given the longstanding traditions inside Microsoft Research and the importance of the fundamental research being conducted by a large group very smart computer scientists. But one way or another, Microsoft needs to get better at getting its best stuff out of the labs and into the broader world.
Meanwhile, those Instagram Hyperlapse videos are looking very cool.
