Norwegian software company Katz Media AS, part of finance company Olympia Finans AS has become the last thread of hope for Apple Computer Inc’s Pippin Internet console. The nine month old company is putting most of its energies behind the ill fated product which in the last six months has been dropped not only from Apple’s development table but also from that of struggling Japanese games giant Bandai Co (CI No 3,163). Last week the company signed a deal to provide Dutch cable Internet and interactive television research and distribution company Netface Consortium with Pippin KMP 2000 consuls for use in an Internet shopping mall. The company is also collaborating with Thorn, Apple and MAID on the development of an integrated Internet access system for 4th Communications Network in Europe that delivers an Internet experience to TV sets in hotel rooms without requiring any additional equipment. According to Kiaran Quinn product marketing director at Katz media the company which began shipping Pippin in April this year is now selling into 20 countries around the world. We have about 100,000 written commitments including purchase orders at this point said Quinn. We are set up for mass volume production. The company is upbeat about future development of the Pippin consul. Whatever Apple does the product will continue to support future versions of Quicktime and Java said Fredric Renard Pippin product manager at Katz. It is just the very core of the operating system that makes the application run. He explained people can put the new application on a CD-ROM and slot it in, there are no compatibility issues. He also indicated that creating a shaved down version of the Rhapsody operating system, to be introduced by Apple next year would not be a problem. It wouldn’t be a massive job to downsize Rhapsody, we could do it in-house with Apple’s help. Japanese toy maker Bandai started selling Pippin in March last year under license from Apple, and took over active Pippin development from Apple last October. Following the record losses in its recently announced end of year results the company says that it has now stopped manufacturing the product although it has not ruled out the possibility of going back into production at some later date.
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