NEW YORK, July 31, 2001 — Today, Microsoft Corp. hosted a Windows® XP event in which more than 20 key industry leaders showcased their hardware and software solutions for digital photography on the Microsoft® Windows XP platform. These companies demonstrated everything from digital cameras to photo-processing services, all designed to provide consumers with the ability to easily manage their digital photography using Windows XP.
“This is a great opportunity for Microsoft and leading companies in the industry to work together to deliver end-to-end digital photography experiences for consumers,”
said Chris Jones, vice president of the Windows Division at Microsoft.
“By linking the power of the PC with the best solutions in the digital photo arena, Windows XP lets consumers share their pictures with friends and family as easily as they can take them.”
Industry leaders participating today in the showcase of digital photography solutions around Windows XP included ArcSoft Inc., Canon USA Inc., Compaq Computer Corp., Corel Corp., Dell Computer Corp., Eastman Kodak Co., Epson America Inc., Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Intel Corp., Lexmark International Inc., NEC-Mitsubishi Electric Visual Systems, Olympus America Inc., Picture It!® on MSN® Photo, SanDisk Corp., Sony, Shutterfly, The Learning Company, Ulead Systems Inc. and Umax Technologies Inc.
“Whether it’s shooting pictures, saving them for future walks down memory lane, having prints to hold or sharing photos with special friends via the Internet, Fujifilm digital imaging offers picture takers a host of enjoyable shoot, store, print and share options,”
said Stanley E. Freimuth, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Fuji Photo Film U.S.A.
“By supporting the Windows XP operating system with both our high-quality line of FinePix digital cameras and through fulfillment of Windows XP online printing service orders, we will continue to make digital imaging fun and easy for both the novice and experienced digital photographer.”
A revolutionary operating system, Windows XP provides the platform for third parties to deliver innovative solutions in a variety of key experiences. The Windows XP release, with a new level of simplicity and reliability, combined with the great offerings in hardware and software, will enable customers to discover a whole new way of computing.
“HP’s digital-imaging solutions are designed to make it easy for people to capture, share and preserve their memories, while offering the latest technological advances,”
said Andy Tallian, vice president of marketing for the Consumer Business Organization at HP.
“With its new digital-imaging capabilities, Windows XP offers an easier way for customers to enjoy their photos.”
“With an Intel® Pentium® 4 processor-based PC with Windows XP and an Intel Pro PC Camera, consumers get a great digital photography experience,”
said Ann Lewnes, vice president of Consumer Marketing at Intel.
“It’s a winning combination for creating, editing, organizing and sharing photos with family and friends.”
The powerful yet simple tools in Windows XP make it the most practical and reliable operating system for entertainment. Windows XP extends the role of the PC by acting as the integration point of the Web, and so provides an intuitive end-to-end photo experience for consumers. The easy-to-use tools in Windows XP allow users to retrieve pictures from digital cameras, scan images into their computers, view and organize their pictures, and share those files with friends and family via e-mail or the Web. Windows XP supports picture transfer protocol (PTP), an industry standard that enables digital cameras to talk to computers, printers and other devices using a common language.
Customers interested in experiencing Windows XP can take advantage of the Preview Program at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/preview/ to get an early look at a test version. Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional, the new Microsoft operating systems for home and work, will be available Oct. 25, 2001.
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Microsoft Windows XP Partner Quote Sheet
“Canon is uniquely positioned to offer our customers, from the consumer to professional level, the complete digital photography experience from shooting to printing with our popular lines of PowerShot digital cameras and Bubble Jet printers. The software applications included with the Windows XP operating system make the digital photography process even easier, from acquiring and organizing to printing and sharing at home or at work.”
– Kinya Uchida
President and CEO
Canon U.S.A. Inc.
“Windows XP is making digital computing extremely easy by putting advanced productivity and entertainment tools at your fingertips. This, combined with the computing power of Compaq’s Presario PCs, creates a wonderful partnership that will provide customers with a complete solution experiencing the best of the digital world.”
– Brett Faulk
Director
Home and Small Office Desktop Marketing
Compaq Computer Corp.
“CorelDRAW ESSENTIALS has been designed to leverage the benefits of Windows XP. Windows XP users can experience our exceptional photo-editing and illustration technology in combination with this new OS and its enhanced, user friendly UI. With a strong emphasis on the photo experience, Corel’s Windows customers will appreciate the power of our software on Microsoft’s new OS.”
– Rene Schimdt
Chief Technology Officer
Corel Corp.
“Consumers are telling us that they want to use their computers for entertainment, and digital photography is one of the most popular applications. We’re excited to see Windows XP making it easier than ever for consumers to capture, manage and share their digital memories.”
– Lory Pilchik
Director of Consumer Marketing
Dell Computer Corp.
“Epson has been at the forefront in the digital photography market and is pleased to be working with Microsoft to offer our customers an enhanced digital imaging experience. Windows XP will provide a new level of ease of use and value to a variety of customers from the beginner to the more advanced user.”
– Dan Crane
Vice President
Marketing
Epson America Inc.
“Whether it’s shooting pictures, saving them for future walks down memory lane, having prints to hold or sharing photos with special friends via the Internet, Fujifilm digital imaging offers picture-takers a host of enjoyable shoot, store, print and share options. By supporting the Windows XP operating system with both our high-quality line of FinePix digital cameras and through fulfillment of Windows XP’s online printing service orders, we will continue to make digital imaging fun and easy for both the novice and experienced digital photographer.”
– Stanley E. Freimuth
Executive Vice President and COO
Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc.
“HP’s digital imaging solutions are designed to make it easy for people to capture, share and preserve their memories, while offering the latest technological advances. With its new digital imaging capabilities, Windows XP offers an easier way for customers to enjoy their photos.”
– Andy Tallian
Vice President of Marketing
Consumer Business Organization
Hewlett-Packard Co.
“With an Intel Pentium 4 processor-based PC with Windows XP and an Intel Pro PC Camera, consumers get a great digital photography experience. It’s a winning combination for creating, editing, organizing and sharing photos with family and friends.”
– Ann Lewnes
Vice President of Consumer Marketing
Intel Corp.
“The Learning Company is very excited about the upcoming launch of Windows XP. We recognized early on the potential of this operating system and are developing several new software titles, including those from our best-selling brands such as The Print Shop, PrintMaster and others that will be compatible with Windows XP and provide consumers with an excellent interactive experience.”
– Greg Bestick
President
The Learning Company
“NEC-Mitsubishi and Microsoft have paired up again to collaborate on the color matching standard, sRGB. As a primary contributor to the sRGB standard, NEC-Mitsubishi delivers the benefits of Microsoft’s cutting-edge Windows XP operating system, providing a robust digital photo viewing experience through our award-winning line of LCD and CRT desktop monitors.”
– Al Giazzon
Vice President, Marketing and Product Management
NEC-Mitsubishi
”
Digital photography is a key market for SanDisk’s highly popular storage cards such as CompactFlash, SmartMedia and Secure Digital. In addition, we also offer a complete line of card readers to transfer images to the desktop quickly and conveniently. SanDisk has worked closely with Microsoft so that, with our USB card readers, Windows XP transfers data at more than
1 MB per second and provides built-in support for true plug-and-play performance. We believe that using SanDisk products on the Windows XP platform will provide consumers with a superior digital imaging experience.”
– Nelson Chan
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and Sales
SanDisk Corp.
“Sony’s Cyber-shot and Mavica digital still cameras and VAIO PCs already create a killer user experience for consumers who want maximum flexibility and ease of use in digital imaging. The digital imaging software integrated into VAIO PCs already makes it effortless to enhance and edit images. Adding the multimedia muscle of Windows XP, from its support of Memory Stick media to its seamless end-to-end management of digital images, puts the power of a professional imaging setup in the hands of any consumer – novice or expert.”
– Mike Viken
Senior Vice President
Information Technology Products Division
Sony Electronics
“The new digital photography tools in Windows XP will increase consumer demand for photo-editing and photo-browsing applications such as Ulead Photo Express and Ulead Photo Explorer. After XP piques photo editing novices’ interest, Ulead will satisfy their desire for more features and provide them with a growth path to more advanced editing programs like Ulead PhotoImpact.”
– Lewis Liaw
Senior Vice President
Ulead Systems Inc.
“Digital imaging has become indispensable in business workflow and everyday computing. Windows XP and UMAX scanners will further simplify the experience for seasoned professionals and ‘prosumers,’ as well as introduce imaging to new SOHO and corporate business users and emerging enthusiasts. UMAX and Microsoft are creating new opportunities for image-rich applications through unprecedented simplicity and innovation.”
– Christabel Chen
Vice President
Sales and Marketing
UMAX Technologies Inc.
