QuickTime 3 and QuickTime 3 Pro Available Now

CUPERTINO, California -- March 30, 1998 -- Apple Computer, Inc. today announced the availability of QuickTime 3, Apple's industry-leading multimedia software that allows consumers and media professionals to capture, edit and playback a wide variety of digital video and audio content. Macintosh and Windows users can download a free version of QuickTime 3 from http://www.apple.com/quicktime/. The advanced capabilities of QuickTime 3 Pro are available to users for just U.S. $29.99.

"If you want to easily view or edit high quality video on your computer, QuickTime 3 Pro is a must-have," said Avie Tevanian, Apple's senior vice president software engineering. "For consumers, digital video artists, software developers and webmasters, QuickTime 3 is the ultimate software for creating and publishing digital content--from home videos to blockbuster interactive software titles. Also, with new compression technologies and file play back capabilities, QuickTime is required software for any serious Internet user."

Available for Mac OS, Windows 95 and Windows NT, this latest version of QuickTime significantly advances its video and audio capabilities. QuickTime 3 includes new compression technology from Sorenson Vision Inc, QDesign Corporation and QUALCOMM, virtual reality integration and support for over 150 video effects and transitions approved by the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE). Roland Corporation's Sound Canvas sound set is also included, providing over 200 MIDI-compatible sounds and instruments.

In total QuickTime 3 can play back of over 30 different audio and video file formats and offers real-time streaming of digital content over the Internet, allowing web surfers to view QuickTime movies from any web server, without long download delays. The technology's streaming and file playback capabilities, coupled with the integration of market-leading compression technology, make QuickTime 3 a stand out application for viewing multimedia content on the Internet.

QuickTime 3 contains underlying multimedia system software, an Internet plug-in and two applications for viewing digital content--MoviePlayer and PictureViewer.

Advantages of QuickTime 3 Pro
QuickTime 3 Pro builds on the capabilities of QuickTime 3 by delivering enhanced playback options
as well as new authoring features for Windows and Macintosh users. These include:
- Full screen video playback;
- Digital video and audio editing capabilities with cut and paste;
- Ability to save digital still images in a wide variety of formats including JPEG, BMP, Photoshop and PICT;
- Ability to save audio and video files from the Internet to personal computers;
- Preparation and compression of content for streaming delivery from any web server.

QuickTime: The Standard for Digital Video and New Media Publishing
First released in 1991, QuickTime is the standard for digital media creation and publishing. Its latest release, QuickTime 3, combines advanced digital video streaming technologies with major breakthroughs in ease-of-use.

QuickTime is the only digital media technology platform capable of integrating 3D animation, real-time special effects, virtual reality, and streaming video and audio across all major personal computer platforms. QuickTime currently supports over 35 popular media file formats, including most major video, still image, audio, animation, and MIDI formats. QuickTime is the winner of numerous industry awards and QuickTime's file format has been chosen as the starting point for The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) MPEG-4 Intermedia Format.

Pricing and Availability
QuickTime 3 is available immediately for download at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/. For just $29.99, users can then purchase a special code from the website that will open the advanced capabilities of QuickTime 3 Pro. Apple expects localized language versions of QuickTime 3 to be available for download in spring 1998.

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.

Cate Schley
Niehaus Ryan Wong, Inc.
(650) 827-7084
email: cate@nrgpr.com
 

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

NOTE TO EDITORS: A special virtual press room for QuickTime 3 is now available on Apple's website (http://www.apple.com/pr/), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408)974-2042, or contact Cate Schley at our PR agency, Niehaus Ryan Wong, Inc., (650) 827-7084.

Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh and QuickTime are registered trademarks and of Apple Computer, Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are respectfully acknowledged.