Synopsis of Wise Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The birth of multimedia

This chapter mainly discusses the history of multimedia. Prior to the birth of multimedia is the arrival of personal computer (PC). The Altair was the first do-it-yourself (DIY) computer which came to the consumer market; however, it did not come with any software or operating system. Users had to discuss and help each other. Among the users were some great innovators of software: Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft) and Steve Jobs (founder of Apple).

Apple was the pioneer of the computer and multimedia market in the late 1970s. They produced their own hardware and software, including the graphical operating system. Their products helped the spread of multimedia (originally named "hypermedia"), and successfully brought multimedia to schools and colleges. However, the application of multimedia was still costly, and therefore the use of multimedia was limited in the business field.

On the other hand, IBM also produced their own personal computers in the 1980s. However, their products could not be conceived as a multimedia machine since its system interface was command line-based. They had to rely on Microsoft, which supplied them the MS-DOS operating system, and Intel, which supplied them the microprocessors.

In 1983, Apple launched their first commercial computer with a graphical user interface. However, it did not bring Apple a success because of the expensive price and the slow operating system.

The next year Apple introduced Macintosh. The initial sale of this product was not good. However, their invention of desktop publishing (DTP), which combined the use of the Macintosh, LaserWriter and PageMaker, lowered the cost of producing printed material for small businesses and community groups.

Also, the integration of HyperCard with Macintosh brought the consumer market the first easy-to-use operating system with a graphical user interface (GUI). This helped the sale of Macintosh.

However, since IBM is a symbol of confidence and efficiency, and Microsoft developed their first operating system with GUI, the market of multimedia PC started to soar, and it threatened Apple. And now, IBM-compatible machines still dominate the market.

Now with the help of CD-ROM and other large-capacity portable media, multimedia production becomes less costly. Almost everyone can produce their own multimedia content.