Apple Outlines Comprehensive Internet Solutions Strategy

Apple Aims to Bring Easy-To-Use, Media-Rich Internet to "The Rest of Us"

WWDC, SAN JOSE, California--May 13, 1996--Placing the Internet at the
center of its immediate and long-term development and business efforts,
Apple Computer, Inc. today laid out a broad Internet strategy that further
applies Apple's pioneering ease-of-use and multimedia technologies to the
Internet. To put it simply, Apple's intention is to do for the Internet
what it did for personal computing: to make the most advanced capabilities
accessible to everyone who can benefit from them, and to define for the
Internet the same media-rich user experience that has made Macintosh the
platform of choice for creating, learning, and communicating.

A key component in Apple's overall strategy, detailed today at Apple's 1996
Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose by Apple chairman and CEO Dr.
Gilbert Amelio, the Internet plan builds on major initiatives:

* Make Apple's own platforms (Macintosh, Newton, Pippin) best-of-class for
Internet access, content creation and delivery; and move all those
platforms from "Internet optional" to "Internet standard". By the end of
1996, all Macintosh CPUs are planned to ship "Internet ready", giving to
customers the Internet equivalent of the "plug-and-play" experience
initiated by the Macintosh back in 1984. The new Cyberdog Internet
software suite announced today demonstrates Apple's commitment to building
Internet access directly into the Mac OS and applications software.

* Enrich Internet standards by cross-licensing technologies with other
Internet leaders to create an open standard for Internet media, which will
bring to customers broader choices, easier access and richer content.
Wherever appropriate, Apple will contribute its leading-edge technologies
to this effort. In the past month, Apple has signed agreements with
Netscape, Sun, Adobe, SGI and others, aimed to enrich Internet standards.

* Use Internet to run Apple's own business better, enhancing communication
with its customers and developers , by expanding efforts to create
innovative Web sites--including a new home page from Dr. Gilbert Amelio,
increase web cast programming and integrate more community-building
activities into much of Apple's Internet presence.

"With today's announcements, Apple is demonstrating that we intend to be a
leading provider of Internet products and solutions," said Larry Tesler,
vice president of Internet platforms for Apple. "It is our plan to provide
the kind of media-rich, easy-to-use environment that individual and
corporate users require to take full advantage of the Internet--from
creating, authoring and publishing information to communicating and
collaborating with others."

Apple Platform Directions

In order to deliver the easy-to-use and powerful user experience that Apple
is famous for, the company has specified a set of key platform components
that provide the foundation for on-going Internet development. The key
components are networking infrastructure, the QuickTime media layer,
OpenDoc and Java:

* NETWORKING INFRASTRUCTURE: Apple laid out plans to support industry
standard TCP/IP protocols as a core component of the Mac OS. The first
step of this move has been the introduction of Open Transport, which makes
TCP/IP an equal peer to AppleTalk and is now available as part of Apple's
latest Mac OS release, System 7.5.3. Moving forward, Apple plans to apply
its expertise in plug- and-play networking to advance its TCP/IP
implementation.

* QUICKTIME MEDIA LAYER: Today, QuickTime is already established as the de
facto standard for multimedia content on the Internet. A recent survey of
2,000 multimedia Web sites found QuickTime to be the #1 multimedia format.
More than 20,000 Web pages today use Apple QuickTime content and more than
5,000 use QuickTime VR, including industry leaders such as CNN, Tower
Records, Warner Brothers, Disney, MTV, BMW and Atlantic Records, according
to a search from the Alta Vista Web Index. Apple intends to pro actively
drive adoption of QuickTime as the industry-standard multimedia format for
the Internet. Apple recently announced the invention of QuickTime "fast
start" movie play-back, which allows users to begin to view a movie while
it's still downloading. Additionally, the VRML 2.0 moving worlds standard,
sponsored by Netscape and SGI, has adopted Apple's 3DMF, a 3D file format.
Netscape has also recently announced that it will be bundling QuickTime
with its upcoming Navigator 3.0 release. &nbsp;

* OPENDOC: This industry standard component architecture allows Apple to
merge otherwise disparate software such as Cyberdog, Java applets and
Netscape plug-ins. Apple and developers showed a number of OpenDoc parts
and containers, with an emphasis on Internet access. OpenDoc gives users
access to the widest variety of solutions for their work.

* JAVA: Apple and Sun Microsystems recently announced that Apple has
licensed Java. Today, Apple provided more details on its plans to leverage
the platform-neutral Java applet environment. Apple said it plans to embed
Java across a range of Apple products and technologies, including Mac OS,
OpenDoc, Cyberdog, HyperCard, Newton, Pippin and Apple Web servers.
Additionally, Apple and third-parties showed Java applets using OpenDoc
running as part of various Macintosh applications.

SOLUTIONS ACROSS THE INTERNET VALUE CHAIN:

Access, Create and Deliver Apple is working to develop and deploy its
products and technologies and those of industry third-parties to bring to
users a unique Internet experience combining ease-of-use and media-rich
content across every aspect of the Internet--from simple access and
browsing to content creation to delivery.

ACCESS

To a user, access can mean such diverse activities as Web surfing,
communicating, collaborating, learning, entertaining, shopping and
participating in the online community. Apple intends to make it easier for
people to access the Internet and manage Internet information.

* The new Cyberdog Internet software suite announced today enables
developers and users alike to personalize the Internet with a consistent,
easy-to-use interface for both Internet browsing and information
integration. Cyberdog, based on the OpenDoc architecture, also
demonstrates Apple's commitment to building Internet access directly into
the Mac OS and applications software.

* Apple's new Internet Access solutions announced today complement strong
existing products and technologies such as the Apple Internet Connection
Kit (AICK), which has already put thousands of Macintosh users on the
Internet.

* Apple demonstrated an innovative Internet-access technology, developed by
Apple's Advanced Technology Group, that gives users a 3D fly- through of
cyberspace.

* As part of its efforts to provide Internet access to non-PC users, via
Newton and Pippin, Apple announced third-party developer support and
Newton Internet Enabler enhancements for the Newton line, the premier
hand-held device for mobile Internet and intranet access.

* Apple also reiterated its support of the Pippin architecture, which is
the basis for the first Internet-ready appliance.

CREATE

Already the leader in media-rich Web site creation, Apple added to its
credentials today several announcements from third-party developers
offering powerful new Internet development tools for content creators and
Web masters.

* In line with its objective to bring the Internet to "the rest of us",
Apple previewed Cocoa, an interactive Internet authoring tool for children
and nontechnical users that brings easy Internet authoring to the home and
education markets.

* Over fifteen developers announced new Internet related tools. Among top
developers who unveiled new tools for Macintosh-based Web site development
are Symantec, Quarterdeck and Metrowerks. The Internet solutions for
content creation are part of a broader portfolio of software tools
supporting the Mac platform, including leading tools such as PageMill and
SiteMill from Adobe Systems.

DELIVER

Apple reinforced its commitment to provide both Mac OS and industry
standard server solutions that allow people to share information on the
Internet. Apple also announced products and third-party agreements
designed to improve the delivery of information across the Internet and
corporate intranet.

* Apple announced broad support for its second generation Internet servers
based on the Mac OS--the Apple Internet Server Solutions. AISS is the
industry's most inexpensive and easiest to use server, yet it can scale
and has the power to handle large sites.

* Apple also demonstrated a fast, content-sensitive search engine for Apple
Internet Servers based on V-twin, a technology from Apple's Copland OS
project. V-twin is also used in Cyberdog, for high-speed mail and news
searches.

Apple as a Content Producer

Apple's own Internet-content development efforts are being greatly expanded
as well, giving current and future customers a vibrant Apple-branded
community to access on the Internet. Apple today announced that it is
stepping up its live Internet programming--or webcasting--activities with
Summer webcasts related to global events such as the Habitat II United
Nations Conference and the City of Atlanta's hosting of the Summer
Olympics; as well as rolling out new Web sites related to company strategy
and product developments.

An Open Standard Approach

Apple has already contributed key technologies such as QuickTime and
QuickDraw 3D to the Internet, and is committed to participate openly
within the Internet community to help set open cross-platform standards
for the media-rich user experience. This will help to ensure that the
Internet will be equally open to everyone, not controlled by any single
vendor, and that customers will be able to choose their preferred
solutions from a broad range of vendors.

"The Internet and technologies such as Java are driving client/server
software toward a platform-independent model," Tesler said. "With open
systems allowing network applications to run on any client, users can
choose their personal computer based on the personal applications
available as well as ease-of-use and what really matters to them. The
Internet levels the playing field for the system industry, and puts the
real choices back in the hand of the users."

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.

If you are considering the purchase of an Apple product and would like to
have product information faxed to you, please call 1-800-462-4396 in the
U.S. or 1-800-263- 3394 in Canada. If you do not have a fax machine or
would like to locate an Apple authorized reseller near you, please call
1-800- 538-9696. Customers outside the U.S. should contact their local
Apple representatives for information.

Apple's home page on the World Wide Web: http://www.apple.com/
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners!
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email:   rbakerpc@aol.com   --or--   rbakerpc@delphi.com
 =========================================================
