Apple Computer and Silicon Graphics Sign Agreement to Advance VRML 2.0 Deployment; Apple Computer Plans to Widely Distribute Silicon Graphics' Cosmo Player as Default VRML 2.0 Browser for Apple Internet Connection Kit; Silicon Graphics to Use QuickDraw 3D in Mac OS and Windows 95/NT versions of Cosmo Player.NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 1996--At Internet World today, Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :AAPL AAPL Apple Computer, Inc. (stock symbol) AAPL American Association of Professional Landmen AAPL American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law AAPL Advance Audiovisual Presentation Limited AAPL Advocates for Arkansas Public Libraries ) and Silicon Graphics Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :SGI (SGI, Sunnyvale, CA, www.sgi.com) A manufacturer of workstations and servers, founded in 1982 by Jim Clark. The company was founded as Silicon Graphics, Inc., but changed to its acronym in 1999. ) jointly announced an agreement designed to further the proliferation of high-performance, high-quality VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) A 3D graphics language used on the Web. After downloading a VRML page, its contents can be viewed, rotated and manipulated. Simulated rooms can be "walked into." The VRML viewer is launched from within the Web browser. (Virtual Reality Modeling Language (virtual reality, language) Virtual Reality Modeling Language - (VRML) A draft specification for the design and implementation of a platform-independent language for virtual reality scene description. VRML 1.0 was released on 1995-05-26. http://vrml.org/. Wired. ) browsing on personal computers. This joint effort will significantly enhance networked, interactive 3D content and applications for the Internet and intranets. To further extend the lead of the Macintosh(R) in multimedia and 3D personal computing, Apple plans to bundle Silicon Graphics' industry-leading Cosmo Player VRML 2.0 browser with the Apple Internet Connection Kit, its "best of class" suite of Internet access software, and has endorsed Cosmo Player as the preferred VRML browser solution. Silicon Graphics plans to deliver the Mac(R) OS version of Cosmo Player early next year. In addition, Silicon Graphics will support Apple's QuickDraw(TM) 3D (QD3D QD3D Quick Draw Three Dimensional ) as one of the rendering engines for the Windows(R) 95 and Windows NT(R) versions of Cosmo Player. "In leading the development of the cross-platform VRML 2.0 standard, Silicon Graphics has started a new industry and initiated a transformation of the Web as we know it," said Larry Tesler, vice president of AppleNet Technologies for Apple Computer Inc. "With Cosmo Player, they have shown their commitment to delivering VRML to the broadest range of platforms and operating systems, which makes Silicon Graphics an ideal and logical company for Apple to partner with in this area. Cosmo Player delivers to our customers unmatched 3D Web experiences, and we look forward to a close working relationship." "Apple has a great technology in QuickDraw 3D that will speed the cross-platform deployment of our VRML browser for personal computers," said Kai-Fu Lee, vice president and general manager, Web Products Division of Silicon Graphics Inc. "The combination of QuickDraw 3D and Cosmo Player makes Mac a first-class VRML client and brings the power and flexibility of QD3D rendering to Windows. Apple and Silicon Graphics will continue to work closely together in the advancement of open, cross-platform standards for multimedia and 3D." VRML 2.0 Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) is an industry standard that enables the development of networked, interactive 3D content and applications that can be deployed universally -- regardless of operating system, brand of microprocessor or rendering technology. VRML 2.0 is based upon the Silicon Graphics-led "Moving Worlds" proposal which was endorsed by over 50 Internet-related companies. Apple is contributing to the VRML 2.0 standard via its jointly proposed VRML binary file format, developed in collaboration with IBM, T.J. Watson Research Labs (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and ParaGraph International (Campbell, Calif.). Cosmo Player Silicon Graphics' Cosmo Player is the only VRML 2.0 browser to support Windows 95, Windows NT, Mac OS, and UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). (R). Cosmo Player works with Netscape Navigator(TM), Microsoft's Internet Explorer(TM) and Apple's Cyberdog(TM). Windows and UNIX versions of Cosmo Player can be downloaded today at http://vrml.sgi.com . QuickDraw 3D QuickDraw 3D is Apple's award-winning real-time 3D architecture for Mac OS and 32-bit Windows platforms which enable multi-platform deployment of 3D authoring tools, VRML and CAD/CAE CAD/CAE Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Engineering . QuickDraw 3D has won a number of industry awards, including COMDEX The former, premier computer trade show in the U.S. Although it grew into an end user event, it was originally created for dealers and distributors (it was the COMputer Dealers EXposition). FALL `96 Best of Show for Multimedia Software. QuickDraw 3D may be immediately downloaded from http://quickdraw3d.apple.com . CONTACT: Silicon Graphics Inc., Booth No. 2703 Alexandrea Todd, 415/933-2024 atodd@corp.sgi.com or For Apple Computer Inc., Booth No. 449 Jonathan Hirshon, 408/982-2555 jh@horizonpr.com |
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