APPLE COMPUTER AND NETSCAPE DEVELOP STANDARDS-BASED, CROSS-PLATFORM PRODUCTS FOR AUDIO CONFERENCING OVER THE INTERNET
CUPERTINO and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (September 27, 1996) -- Apple Computer, Inc. and Netscape Communications Corporation today announced that the two companies intend to work together to create interoperable, standards-based applications and development tools for real-time audio and video conferencing over the Internet. Leaders in the area of multimedia products and technologies, Apple and Netscape plan to work together to make these applications and tools compatible with other computer systems, enabling audio/video conferencing over the Internet among people using different computer platforms.
The companies also announced today that Netscape plans to bundle Apple's QuickTime Conferencing (QTC) technology with its new Netscape Navigator 3.0 Internet client software for the Macintosh. The bundle will enable Netscape to offer an audio conferencing solution, CoolTalk, that gives Macintosh users the ability to call other Macintosh, Windows and UNIX users. A feature-rich online whiteboard for collaboration will be available soon after the initial release, adding cross-platform collaboration capabilities to CoolTalk. This multi-platform conferencing and collaboration solution is unprecedented in the industry; no other audio or video conferencing products on the market currently offer cross-compatibility between such a wide range of platforms.
In its initial release, QTC-enabled CoolTalk will be based on Netscape's LiveMedia protocols, which are expected to soon include the emerging H.323 international standard. This standard defines how computers, regardless of the operating system they are based on, can interoperate to share audio and video streams over intranets or the Internet.
"Apple and Netscape are committed to bringing the power and convenience of audio and video conferencing and collaboration to the market quickly," said John Harriman, product line manager for QuickTime Conferencing at Apple. "CoolTalk and QTC are here now, and as the world standards for conferencing and collaboration continue to evolve, new features and capabilities based on these standards will be quickly available to our customers."
Harriman continued, "We are delighted to be working now with Netscape to create the next generation of audio and video conferencing products and tools, because both of our companies share a commitment to standards and interoperability, and to bridging the gap between people and information."
Michael Po, director of Netscape LiveMedia, added, "Netscape is to the Internet what Apple has been to a generation of computer users - the accessible and user-friendly way to take advantage of technology for competitive and personal advantage. It makes sense for the two companies to work together to chart the course for future cross-platform applications and tools that will bring people and ideas together."
Apple's QuickTime Conferencing, the enabling technology behind CoolTalk for the Macintosh, is a cross-platform conferencing, collaboration and multimedia communications technology that allows personal computer users to share real-time information, images and sound throughout the world. Currently in use by more than two million people worldwide, QTC provides an inexpensive and effective way to collaborate with long-distance work colleagues and partners, communicate with friends and family, conduct one-to-many lectures or worksessions, or work from home.
Unlike other audio conferencing and collaboration products, QTC-enabled CoolTalk is not dependent upon remote users working on the same computer platform. A typical CoolTalk audio conference or collaboration session might involve multiple users working from Macintosh, PC and UNIX-based computers.
The power and cross-platform functionality of CoolTalk's online whiteboard for collaboration is also a unique feature. Netscape's LiveMedia architecture, combined with the features of the QTC architecture, will enable the creation of rich, cross-platform collaborative applications that are available to conference members working on various computer platforms. A shared whiteboard will allow CoolTalk users to display and mark-up text, graphics, and documents in real-time. The Netscape LiveMedia components of the Netscape ONE development platform empower developers to add to CoolTalk's functionality by creating their own distributed, real-time multi-media application Plug-ins.
Netscape Navigator 3.0 with CoolTalk for the Macintosh is expected to be available at the anticipated price of $49.00. The online whiteboard for collaboration is expected be available early next year. Internet users can download Netscape Navigator 3.0 directly from Netscape's Internet site at http://home.netscape.com/. Information on Apple's QuickTime Conferencing technology and products (including the new QTC 1.5-based products), can be found at Apple Computer's QuickTime Conferencing Web site at http://qtc.quicktime.apple.com/.
Apple Computer, Inc., a recognized innovator in the information industry and leader in multimedia technologies, creates powerful solutions based on easy-to-use personal computers, servers, peripherals, software, personal digital assistants and Internet content. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple develops, manufactures, licenses and markets solutions, products, technologies and services for business, education, consumer, entertainment, scientific and engineering and government customers in more than 140 countries.
Netscape Communications Corporation is a premier provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offers a full line of Netscape Navigator clients, servers, development tools and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation, live online applications. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.
Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com, by sending email to info@netscape.com, or by calling 415/937-2555 (corporate customers) or 415/937-3777 (individuals).
Netscape, Netscape Navigator, Netscape ONE and Netscape LiveMedia are trademarks
of Netscape Communications Corporation. CoolTalk is a trademark of Insoft, Inc.,
a wholly owned subsidiary of Netscape Communications Corporation.
Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, and QuickTime are registered trademarks of
Apple Computer, Inc. All other brand names mentioned are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders, and are hereby acknowledged.