For Immediate Release
Apple Ships OpenGL For Macintosh
Industry’s Leading 3D Graphics Architecture Now Available on Mac
WWDC, SAN JOSE, California-May 10, 1999 -At its annual Worldwide
Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple Computer, Inc. today announced
shipment of OpenGL for Macintosh, a new version of SGI’s application
programming interface (API) and software library for 3D graphics.
Available today from www.apple.com/opengl, OpenGL for Macintosh
brings industry-leading 3D computer graphics to the Macintosh
platform, enhancing software applications such as games and
professional modeling programs.
“Macintosh developers want OpenGL so they can create the best games
in the industry,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s vice president of
Worldwide Product Marketing. “The combination of OpenGL, fast ATI
graphics accelerators, and Pentium-toasting PowerPC G3 processors
make Macintosh an awesome platform for running the latest 3D
software.”
OpenGL is a robust and mature 3D software library that offers a broad
set of rendering, texture mapping, special effects and other powerful
visualization functions, and also provides for close coupling with
powerful graphics acceleration hardware. OpenGL is recognized by 3D
application developers worldwide as the premier API for developing
leading-edge 3D applications, and is uniquely positioned to take
advantage of the continuing evolution of graphics hardware.
Availability and System Requirements
OpenGL for Macintosh can be downloaded free of charge immediately at
www.apple.com/opengl. OpenGL for Macintosh requires a PowerPC-based
Macintosh computer with Mac OS 8.1 or later. An iMac or new Power
Macintosh G3 is recommended for accelerated 3D rendering.
Apple today also announced its new line of PowerBook notebooks that
continue the product’s tradition of being the fastest notebook
computer in the world. With PowerPC G3 processors running up to
400MHz, the new PowerBook notebooks benchmark over twice as fast as
the fastest Intel notebooks*. In addition, the new PowerBook line
features battery life up to five hours (with one battery, up to 10
hours with optional second battery). The new PowerBook line is almost
20 percent thinner and, at 5.9 pounds in weight, nearly two pounds
lighter than their award-winning predecessors.
Apple also announced the immediate availability of Mac OS 8.6, a
significant upgrade to the Macintosh operating system which is free
to owners of Mac OS 8.5; and an agreement with Dragon Systems to
bring their award-winning speech recognition software to the
Macintosh.
* Based on industry standard ByteMark processor test.
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 Contact:
Russell Brady
Apple Computer, Inc.
(408) 974-6877
brady2@apple.com
Susan Peters
Edelman Worldwide
(650) 968-4033 ext.2763
susan_m_peters@edelman.com