|
Apple
Computer, Sun Microsystems and Ericsson have announced that
they have teamed up to develop a system for bringing multimedia
content such as movie clips to cell phones and other wireless
devices. Analysts say the three companies are laying their
stakes-and jockeying for position against rivals Microsoft
and RealNetworks-in an emerging market for video applications
in wireless services. Boosters of the technology envision
also cell phone and handheld-computer users sending personalised
video clips to each other instead of text messages.
Dubbed the Ericsson Content Delivery Solution, the system
will include Apple’s QuickTime streaming video application,
content-distribution software from Sun and wireless infrastructure
from Ericsson. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Under the system, content providers could create video clips
using QuickTime and not have to worry about reformatting it
to run on different kinds of devices, said Phil Schiller,
Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.
The content would be ready for wireless-network operators
to send directly to consumer devices.
“It’s
a bridge from media organisations to the mobile networks,”
said Patrick Kane, Ericsson’s vice president of strategic
business and alliances. He said some wireless carriers have
already shown interest, and he predicted consumers would see
multimedia services offered by the end of the year.
The cost of those services, however, remains unclear. “Are
the services going to be affordable for consumers, and will
the content be compelling enough so that consumers are willing
to pay for it? It’s too early to tell,” said analyst
Susan Kevorkian of IDC.
|
