Apple Demos "Virtual Reality For The Rest Of Us" In Sneak Preview Of Future
QuickTime Technology

LOS ANGELES, California--June 7, 1994--Apple Computer, Inc. provided a
sneak preview of its future virtual reality technology today in a
demonstration here at the Digital World Exposition. Simon & Schuster
Interactive is expected to be the first licensee of the virtual reality
technology for its upcoming Star Trek CD-ROM title, also shown today.

Apple's technology, QuickTime VR--short for virtual reality--is software
that enables a user to view a photographic or rendered representation of a
scene in 360 degrees. Users can zoom in or out of a scene, navigate from
one scene to another, and even pick up and inspect objects. As the user
changes their view of the scene, correct perspective is maintained,
providing the effect of being at the location and looking around.

Simon & Schuster Interactive Expected to Be First Licensee

Simon & Schuster Interactive, the new electronic publishing division of
Simon & Schuster, is expected to be the first company to license QuickTime
VR. The company today provided a preview of its "Star Trek: The Next
Generation Interactive Technical Manual," a virtual reality tour of the
Starship U.S.S. Enterprise. Consumers can tour the Enterprise and view
objects and scenes in 360 degrees. The CD-ROM title will be launched on
June 23 at the Consumer Electronics Show and is expected to be available
in September 1994 for both Macintosh and Windows. Simon & Schuster, one of
the world's leading publishers, is a division of Paramount Communications,
Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of Viacom Inc.

Virtual reality, while attracting much media attention over the past few
years, has suffered a lack of true consumer acceptance largely because of
the amount of technical equipment required. Expensive workstation-caliber
computers, gloves and goggles have made VR prohibitive for most consumers.
Apple's QuickTime VR does not require any special hardware, accelerators
or peripherals--only a Macintosh or Windows computer with QuickTime. While
most virtual reality systems offer users the ability to interact with a
relatively simple three-dimensional computer-generated space, QuickTime VR
adds visual realism by enabling the user to explore a space that is
represented photographically.

"Virtual Reality for the Rest of Us" 

"QuickTime VR is virtual reality for the rest of us," commented Rick
LeFaivre, vice president Apple Advanced Technology Group. "This is a huge
leap forward in the world of interactive media, and we expect it to have
significant impact on business, entertainment, and education of the
applications. QuickTime VR could open up a whole new area of opportunity
for Apple and for the developers who license the technology."

Apple expects QuickTime VR to be widely adopted by CD-ROM title developers,
architectural planners, engineering application developers, and game
manufacturers. Apple is in the process of commercializing the technology
and will make it available to content developers, production companies and
software developers.

An Example QuickTime VR Application

As an example of how QuickTime VR could be used, consider an interactive
educational CD-ROM about the Mayan Ruins. QuickTime VR would enable the
user to walk around, view and interact with the actual ruins (captured
photographically in 360 degrees, and processed and displayed using
QuickTime VR). Existing personal computer virtual reality systems would
only enable the user to interact with a crude computer model of the
ruins.

QuickTime VR has integrated "hot spots"--areas within a program with which
users can interact. For example, the Mayan Ruins title might feature a
pyramid on which users could click to play an audio recording of Mayan
ceremonial music, or to display text detailing how the pyramid was built.

New Technology is Based on QuickTime

All QuickTime 2.0-compliant applications will have the ability to play
QuickTime VR files. The compression capabilities inherent with QuickTime
result in small QuickTime VR files: Each photographic representation of a
360 degree space is less than 1 MB. Computer-rendered representations,
such as architectural renderings, are even smaller.

QuickTime VR requires QuickTime 2.0, Apple's software that brings
multimedia capabilities to personal computers and consumer electronic
devices. QuickTime 2.0, expected to be available this summer, is a
significant leap forward as it makes large, smooth video a reality for
computer users. QuickTime 2.0 is compatible with MPEG' and incorporates
music--including a library of sounds licensed from Roland
Corporation--making it ideal software for the creation of CD-ROM titles
and corporate presentations.

Price and Availability

QuickTime VR is expected to be available for developer licensing by the end
of 1994. License fees have not been announced. Developers interested in
more information on QuickTime VR can call the Apple Developer Hotline at
(408) 974-4897.

Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Apple Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)
develops, manufactures and markets computer systems for use in business,
education, the home, science, engineering and government. A recognized
pioneer and innovator in the personal computer industry, Apple does
business in more than 120 countries.

*MPEG (Motion Pictures Experts Group) is an ISO standard that allows for
greater video compression rate, resulting in faster, smoother video. The
standard has been cooperatively developed by more than 70 companies and
institutions worldwide including SONY, Philips, Matsushita and Apple. It
is expected to become the digital video standard for compact discs, cable
TV, direct satellite broadcast and high-definition television.

Apple Computer Inc, 20525 Mariana Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014
408-996-1010

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