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- From: tbryden@acorn.co.uk
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.announce
- Subject: News from Acorn: Acorn branches out into Interactive Multimedia
- Date: 6 Jul 1994 13:58:34 +0100
-
- News from Acorn Computers - Release Date: July 6th 1994
-
- Acorn Branches Out Into Interactive Multimedia With Launch Of Online Media
- ==========================================================================
-
- The Acorn Computer Group has announced its entry into the interactive
- multimedia market with the launch of Online Media, a new operation within
- the Acorn Computer Group. Online Media, based in Cambridge, aims to exploit
- the technical expertise of the Acorn Computer Group to bring affordable
- interactive multimedia products and services to the huge market emerging
- from the information superhighway. To achieve this aim, Online Media will
- be working with major players in this arena. Examples of current important
- partners include: Olivetti, Advanced RISC Machines Ltd, Advanced
- Telecommunications Modules Ltd, BNR/Northern Telecom, News International,
- MAI, Anglia Television, Oracle and Cambridge Cable.
-
- Online Media's revenues will derive initially from the supply of set-top box
- equipment. Longer term, Online Media is looking to develop additional
- revenue streams in the areas of design license sales, authoring software
- sales, a range of on-line services and consultancy. Online Media will be
- headed by Malcolm Bird who has 16 years of IT and consultancy experience and
- is Technical Director of Acorn Computers Limited. Online Media has 20 staff
- at launch, several of whom have transferred from design, and sales and
- marketing roles within Acorn Computers Limited.
-
- The first of Online Media's products, the Online Media set-top box, has
- already generated interest from large communications providers such as
- Northern Telecom and Alcatel. In the future, Online Media plans to develop
- products relevant to the broader multimedia market. These will include
- software for creating services running on set-top devices, services to
- support the creation of new applications for interactive use and personal
- multimedia devices. In addition, an interactive service to support
- education in the home and school is being planned which will draw upon
- Acorn's considerable expertise in the education sector.
-
- Commenting on the launch of Online Media, Sam Wauchope, Managing Director of
- the Acorn Computer Group, said: "Interactive multimedia is set to have an
- even more profound long-term impact on society than the advent of popular
- microcomputing.
-
- "Acorn's proven ability in delivering low-cost, RISC-based systems and our
- experience in multimedia equip us ideally for the move into the burgeoning
- information superhighway marketplace.
-
- "I am very confident that the launch of Online Media will be a significant
- step towards us becoming a key player in this emerging market" he added.
-
- Malcolm Bird, Chief Executive of Online Media, commented: "The launch of
- Online Media and its technologies is a major contribution to the European
- effort in this area. The different installed infrastructure and regulatory
- controls across Europe allow us to gain experience across a range of
- technologies and develop an early lead.
-
- "We will be using the strengths of ARM processors and optimised systems
- design to create extremely cost effective products.
-
- "To this end, we are in the process of identifying and developing new
- partnerships on a global scale. We already have established key supporters
- within the telecoms and cable markets such as BNR/Northern Telecom and News
- International. Online Media will give the Acorn Computer Group a solid
- stake in the global multimedia market," concluded Bird.
-
- Founded in 1978, with 1993 revenues of #54.3m, Acorn Computers is the
- premier supplier of IT solutions to UK education and has been the leading
- provider of 32-bit RISC based personal computers since 1987. Acorn works
- closely with a strong community of industry partners, users and software
- developers to provide innovative technology solutions for the education,
- consumer, publishing and international markets.
-
- The Acorn Computer Group is a holding company for Acorn Computers Limited,
- Acorn Australia, Acorn New Zealand, Acorn GmbH and Online Media. Acorn
- Computer Group owns 43% of Advanced RISC Machines Ltd.
-
- Ends
-
-
- From: tbryden@acorn.co.uk
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.announce
- Subject: News from Acorn: Acorn Computers to Exploit Technology of Online Media
- Date: 6 Jul 1994 14:00:49 +0100
-
- News from Acorn Computers - Release Date: July 6th 1994
-
- Acorn Computers to Exploit Technology of Online Media
- =====================================================
-
- Acorn Computers Ltd, the principal operating company of the Acorn
- Computer Group, today announced plans to partner with its newly
- launched sister organisation Online Media to exploit the emerging
- interactive multimedia marketplace. Online Media has been set up to
- develop the use of Acorn's technology to allow the Acorn Computer
- Group to expand into this new and emerging market. Acorn will bring
- its unique understanding of education and its established market
- leadership to the partnership.
-
- "Acorn has always been recognised as a technology innovator," comments
- Sam Wauchope, Managing Director of the Acorn Computer Group. "We have
- demonstrated this with the launch of the first 32-bit RISC computer in
- 1987 and again with the Risc PC earlier this year. We now believe that
- the time is right and the market is ready for the multimedia
- technologies Online Media will deliver."
-
- Acorn Computers Ltd will enable Online Media to capitalise on its
- expertise and technology to deliver effective solutions to the set-top
- box and related service markets. The partnership will be further
- strengthened by Acorn's unique understanding of the education market,
- ensuring that Acorn fully exploits these emerging technologies to make
- products available to both educational establishments and to home
- education markets.
-
- Peter Talbot, General Manager UK Education at Acorn Computers,
- comments: "Acorn has today announced its plans to realise the
- enormous potential of interactive multimedia and we believe Acorn is
- in the strongest position to ensure that education gets the best from
- this innovative technology.
-
- Acorn has undertaken the challenge to work with Online Media to
- develop a complementary environment and systems which will allow
- schools to use their current multimedia solutions with future
- products. In the future, education will benefit from new products and
- technologies from both Acorn and Online Media."
-
- Acorn Computers Ltd will continue its own development plans whilst
- working closely with Online Media to integrate both companies'
- technologies to exploit opportunities in their respective markets.
- Online Media will provide Acorn with significant product enhancements
- and the run time environment and interfacing cards to allow Acorn
- computer systems to be connected to interactive services.
-
- The partnership will also provide Acorn Computers with a range of
- capabilities including multimedia authoring tools, MPEG video support,
- a range of alternative network service protocols and set-top boxes.
- It will also provide increased opportunities for Acorn's existing
- developers and potential new Acorn partners.
-
- Wauchope continues: "Acorn's philosophy of identifying and working
- with partners to exploit technologies has enabled us to remain
- successful in our major markets. We have shown this through creative
- exploitation of technology with another Acorn sister company Advanced
- RISC Machines Ltd. This philosophy has been fundamental to the
- success of ARM, which is rapidly becoming the global RISC standard for
- consumer applications, and will continue to ensure the success of
- Online Media."
-
- Founded in 1978, with 1993 revenues of #54.3m, Acorn Computers is the
- premier supplier of IT solutions to UK education and has been the
- leading provider of 32-bit RISC based personal computers since 1987.
- Acorn works closely with a strong community of industry partners,
- users and software developers to provide innovative technology
- solutions for the education, consumer, publishing and international
- markets.
-
- The Acorn Computer Group is a holding company for Acorn Computers
- Limited, Acorn Australia, Acorn New Zealand, Acorn GmbH and Online
- Media. Acorn Computer Group owns 43% of ARM Ltd. Online Media, a
- division of the Acorn Computer Group, was launched in 1994 with the
- mission to design world class, interactive multimedia products.
-
- Ends
-