The mad dash to build the future of multimedia
The article explores the early history of multimedia on desktop computers, focusing on Apple's development of QuickTime in the late 1980s. It highlights the challenges of creating standards and portability in a fragmented market.
Why it matters
The development of QuickTime was a crucial step in the evolution of desktop computing, paving the way for the widespread use of multimedia on personal computers.
Key Points
- 1In the late 1980s, playing video, audio, or photos on a desktop computer required specialized hardware and software from different vendors
- 2Apple recognized the need to develop a multimedia platform but faced internal skepticism about the viability of desktop multimedia
- 3A team of a dozen people at Apple worked to create QuickTime, which became a pioneering multimedia framework
Details
In the late 1980s, the world of desktop computing was highly fragmented when it came to multimedia capabilities. Playing a video, listening to a song, or displaying photos required bolting on expensive hardware from different vendors, each with their own software. There were no standards or portability, making it difficult to share content across systems. Apple saw an opportunity to develop a unified multimedia platform, but faced internal skepticism, with some employees believing no one would ever want to watch videos or listen to music on a computer. A small team of a dozen people at Apple worked to create QuickTime, which became a pioneering multimedia framework that helped drive the adoption of desktop multimedia in the 1990s.
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