#9999 - Part 14 - Persteksten

Press release: Apple Computer's QuickTime Conferencing Kit Now Shipping

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Apple Computer's QuickTime Conferencing Kit Now Shipping

ISDN Upgrade Kits Soon to Follow; Claris to Offer Volume Licensing

CUPERTINO, California--December 18, 1995--Apple Computer, Inc. today announced that the QuickTime Conferencing Kit is now available world-wide through Apple authorized resellers. The Kit allows Power Macintosh users from anywhere in the world to videoconference, take PICT "snapshots" during conferencing sessions, record video sessions as QuickTime movies, and share and mark up images, sounds and QuickTime movies via a shared window and a technology called "whiteboard collaboration."

"The launching of the QuickTime Conferencing product line, starting with this kit, begins an era of standards-based, network- independent, easy-to-use and affordable telecooperation," said Kai-Fu Lee, vice president of Apple's Interactive Media Group. "Apple's solution will allow customers to be flexible in how they communicate and collaborate by providing color videoconferencing via the Internet, local area networks such as Ethernet, and wide area networks via ISDN."

The QuickTime Conferencing Kit contains the Apple Media Conference software application, the QuickTime Conferencing System Extension, the QuickTime Conferencing 100 Camera, and all necessary cables and documentation. The Kit has a U.S. SRP of $289, and requires an AV Macintosh or AV Power Macintosh, System 7.5 or later, 16 MB of RAM, and a connection to an Ethernet network and/or the Internet via a TCP/IP connection. A PlainTalk Microphone, which is included with most of the above Macintosh and Power Macintosh models, is also needed.

ISDN Kit for Long-Distance and Cross-Platform Videoconferencing
The QuickTime Conferencing ISDN Kit gives customers the ability to conference long-distance and cross-platform with any other H.320- compliant desktop videoconferencing system, at high-quality ISDN data rates, via an ISDN connection. This allows for a larger video image size, higher video frame-rate, and the freedom to conference outside the local area network with one or more videoconference participants, whether they are using a Macintosh or a PC.

In keeping with Apple's commitment to standards-based technologies and cross-platform interoperability, the QuickTime Conferencing ISDN Kit is fully compliant with the ITU standard H.320, which is the international standard for video compression and decompression. Apple is also continuing to work toward incorporating the new ITU T.120 standard into the QuickTime Conferencing product line, which will allow true application sharing and cross-platform collaboration.

The QuickTime Conferencing ISDN Kit is an upgrade to the QuickTime Conferencing Kit. It includes a NuBus expansion card which provides the ISDN connection as well as an H.320-compliant hardware CODEC (for video compression and decompression), QuickTime Conferencing H.320 software, a telephone handset, and all necessary cables and documentation. The NuBus ISDN Kit is scheduled to be available next month for approximately $1750. A PCI version of the kit is expected to be available early second quarter, 1996.

QuickTime Conferencing Web Site
The new QuickTime Conferencing World Wide Web site is slated to go live in January. Apple expects this site to provide customers with an easy-to-access "one-stop shop" on the Internet for information on Apple's videoconferencing products. Customers browsing the site will be able to evaluate innovative software capabilities and Internet-based videoconferencing programs as they become available.

Volume Licensing Available
Claris Corp. will be selling QuickTime Conferencing software through the ClarisPLUS volume licensing program. ClarisPLUS serves two main customer segments: corporations (including government) and education sites, and is designed to address how enterprise customers want to buy and use Apple and Claris software. Customers may call 1-800-950-5382 for more information on where to purchase this software product, and other Apple-brand software sold by Claris.

Developer Licensing Available
As of today, developers may license the QuickTime Conferencing core technology and APIs from Apple for a very low annual licensing fee. Apple developers may obtain more information about the technology and licensing from the Mac OS Software Developers' Kit #4, or from Apple Developer Support.

© Mactivity Estonia 1996