Mac Attack

Apple gained quite a bit of Internet technology when it purchased NeXT. Some experts are claiming that WebObjects, a server-based technology that can build HTML pages on the fly (by calling data from a corporate database, Java and ActiveX applets, Shockwave and RealAudio files, and more), was the coup in the NeXT acquisition. This is revolutionary Web technology, and, if Apple plays its cards right, WebObjects could make the company one of the biggest players in Internet development.

WebObjects can be accessed from virtually any popular browser, including Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. The biggest benefit WebObjects offers over standard HTML is that pages can be customized for each user. This means, for example, you could visit your favorite travel services site and find a page personalized with your name, address and member number, as well as offers and selections tailored to your purchasing history or pre-stated tastes. Additionally, Apple plans to add TCP/IP connectivity to make it easier for Mac users to connect to Internet providers. Java will also be tightly integrated into both the Mac OS and Rhapsody.

Apple has long been a leader in multimedia. Its QuickTime program is the video player of choice on Windows, Macintosh and Internet systems. QuickTime lets software vendors create and deliver synchronized graphics, sound, video, text and music. According to Apple, QuickTime is used on an estimated 25,000 Web sites and by 1,500 CD-ROM developers. Apple QuickTime Media Layer (QTML), a cross-platform technology that allows developers to create synchronized graphics, sound, video, text and music for CD-ROM and the Internet, will be fully optimized for both the Mac OS and Rhapsody.

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This article was originally published in the April 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Mac Attack.