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When Marconi invented the wireless telegraph in the late 1800s, he had no idea that his invention would be the tool to launch the broadcasting industry nearly 20 years later, making the radio a household necessity.
But, what do we see in the immediate future for CD-ROM drives and how will multimedia affect CD-ROM advances? The key is in how people will use the technology and how their use of technology will affect their everyday lives. Perhaps, someone will use CD-ROM to launch an entire industry just as radio was used to launch broadcasting. But, how do we get there from here?
We can learn a lot from the history of technological innovations, such as Marconi's wireless telegraph, and how their uses have evolved. Similarly, in the world of multimedia, the CD-ROM is the enabling technology that is propelling us into the future. CD-ROM is at the forefront of a revolution in the way we interact with our computers.
The challenge for users of multimedia lies in merging the variety of information products--print, film, videotape, audio--to create a new type of experience that combines the best features of words, sounds and images.
MEETING NEEDS, SOFTWARE KEY
At NEC, we have led the marketplace by setting the standards for CD-ROM performance with the introduction of the first dual-speed drives in May 1992--NEC's MultiSpin family of drives--followed by our October 1993 introduction of the MultiSpin (3X) triple-speed and (4X Pro) quad-speed drives. These introductions have been fueled by how we see real people using their CD-ROM drives, whether it's in the workplace or in the home.
For the last few years, speed has been the determining factor most people have used in selecting a CD-ROM drive. Double speed drives--with their smoother video and animation, and faster data transfer--have become the standard. In the future, we expect to see improved access time and transfer rates, as well as increased reliability and a...