Apple Announces Availability of QuickTime VR Authoring Studio

CUPERTINO, California–Nov. 6, 1997–Apple Computer, Inc. today announced
the availability of QuickTime VR Authoring Studio, a new professional
software application that allows web designers and multimedia authors to
quickly and easily create professional quality QuickTime VR (Virtual
Reality) panoramas and objects. Apple believes that with QuickTime VR
Authoring Studio, QuickTime VR adoption will increase on both the Internet
and CD-ROM.

“QuickTime VR Authoring Studio radically simplifies the creation of
QuickTime VR scenes–both panoramas and objects–for products developed for
the Internet and CD-ROM,” said David Palermo, QuickTime VR product manager,
Apple Computer, Inc. “QuickTime VR Authoring Studio brings ease-of-use and
power to all multimedia content developers, web authors and photographers
no matter what their skill level is.”

“Kaidan is proud and excited to have been working with the QuickTime VR
team from the outset to ensure that our products work seamlessly with
products like QuickTime VR Authoring Studio. In conjunction with the
availability of QuickTime VR Authoring Studio, Kaidan is pleased to
announce eMCee I, a new software application that controls our family of
large motorized QuickTime VR object rigs (Magellan M-1501, Meridian TM-400
and Meridian C-60),” said Jim Anders, president, Kaidan Incorporated.
“eMCee works seamlessly with QuickTime VR in several ways. For example,
eMCee I can be configured to communicate with QuickTime VR Authoring Studio
via a direct AppleEvent connection. This way, eMCee I and QuickTime VR
Authoring Studio simply work together in concert to create object movies.”

QuickTime VR Authoring Studio
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio is a new professional software application
based on QuickTime VR technology that allows web designers and multimedia
authors to quickly and easily create QuickTime VR panoramas and objects.
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio completely replaces existing difficult-to-use
QuickTime VR tools which were based on MPW (Macintosh Programmers
Workbench), a scripting-based application.

QuickTime VR Authoring Studio incorporates professional features like
project manager, scene maker and object maker which are intended to
simplify the production process of a QuickTime VR panorama movie. Unlike
other VR authoring tools, QuickTime VR Authoring Studio helps create
multi-node QuickTime movies containing objects and panoramas.

QuickTime VR is the acknowledged standard for creating and viewing
photo-realistic environments (panoramas) and real-world objects on Mac OS
and Windows computers. Users interact with QuickTime VR content with a
complete 360 degree perspective and control their viewpoint through the
mouse, keyboard, trackpad, or trackball. Using the QuickTime VR Authoring
Studio, panoramas and objects are automatically ‘stitched together’ from
digitized photographs or 3D renderings to create a realistic visual
perspective.

Availability and Pricing
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio is available in the U.S. and Canada through
retail and mail-order suppliers offering the Apple software product lines.
The estimated retail price of QuickTime VR Authoring Studio in the U.S. is
$395. QuickTime VR Authoring Suite 2.0 customers can upgrade to the new
version for $199 in the U.S. by calling the Apple Order Center at
800-293-6617, and providing proof of ownership. For more information, in
the U.S. call 1-800-293-6617; in Canada, call 1-800-361-6075 for additional
information.

System Requirements
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio requires a PowerPC based Mac OS compatible
system with a minimum of 16MB of available RAM.

QuickTime: The Foundation for Leading Video Software Tools First released
in 1991, QuickTime is the recognized leader in software technology for the
creation and delivery of digital media. QuickTime is used for professional
video editing, website creation, and the development of CD-ROMs. According
to New Media Magazine, QuickTime comprises over 50 percent of the video
content found on the Internet.

QuickTime provides foundation technology for building powerful digital
media tools. Award-winning video software products–including Adobe After
Effects, Avid Cinema, Adobe Premiere, and Radius Edit, as well as
Macromedia’s soon-to-be released Final Cut–are all built on top of
QuickTime.

Apple Computer, Inc. ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s
with the Apple II, and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with
the Macintosh. Apple is now recommitted to its original mission – to bring
the best personal computing products and support to students, educators,
designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons and consumers in over 140
countries around the world.

Press Contacts:
Sheri Dupart
Apple Computer, Inc.
(408) 974-9492
email: dupart@apple.com

Russell Brady
Apple Computer, Inc.
(408) 974-6877
email: brady2@apple.com