What is Apple's "QuickTime VR" that has disappeared silently while pioneering 360-degree movies and VR content?

Apple Computer (now Apple) has "QuickTime VR"There was a technology to seamlessly join images 360 degrees. He previously served as CEO on Apple about what technology QuickTime VR could be said to be the pioneering technology of the current 360 degree panoramic image and 360 degree movieJohn ScullyMr. Apple etc at that time explain to Business Insider.

Inside story of Apple's forgotten virtual-reality project QuickTime VR - Business Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-story-of-apples-forgotten-virtual-reality-project-quicktime-vr-2016-5

QuickTime VR debuted as a technology to predict the future with technology announced in 1995 when Steve Jobs who was driven out of Apple by Mr. Scully struggled with NeXT, but lost interest from users later in life , Finally quietly disappearing, it is listed as one of the most strange techniques in Apple's history.

QuickTime VR, developed at Apple 's Human Interface Group in the early 1990' s, was born when digital cameras were not yet common. Therefore, QuickTime VR needs to make from the digital image itself to be processed, it was essential to photograph a lot of pictures and draw illustrations. About such QuickTime VR Mr. Scully recalls, "At that time it was a technology that felt very attractive."


Dan O'Sullivan, a development engineer at QuickTime VR, who later served as a professor at the University of New York, said, "The exclusive matrix camera for making 360 degree panoramic photos was extremely expensive, so I used only one camera I took a couple of photos and decided to join them with the power of software. "

Originally, QuickTime VR, which began development in 1991 from the impulsive desire of Mr. O'Sullivan who wants to scan around the can of Coca-Cola around a lap, said the initial experimental result was extremely good. "I remember Sharry Ride who was a member of the then Board of Directors, it seemed unbelievable how the images were joined in real time," she said.

Because the task of connecting photos together was a heavy load from the performance of the computer at that time, Apple said that he purchased Cray 's supercomputer in response to the initial development result of QuickTime VR. The successful development of QuickTime VR succeeded in receiving high evaluation when it was announced in 1995.

The state of presentation of QuickTime VR can be confirmed in the following two movies.

Apple WWDC 1995 - QuickTime VR - part 1 - YouTube


Apple WWDC 1995 - QuickTime VR - part 2 - YouTube


To make a demonstration of the recital of 1995, Apple has taken permission from New York City mayor to create a 360 degree image looking down at the Golden Gate Bridge from above. In addition, we are doing shooting in Russian Pavlovsk Palace and doing a pretty powerful demonstration creation. You can see the appeal of Apple's expectation of QuickTime VR.


It occurred in 1995O · J · Simpson CaseSo, QuickTime VR has come into the limelight. NBC covers the murder case that NFL superstar woke up, while the media all over the United States covered the night, NBC to explain the situation inside Simpson's apartment where the murder case happened to be easy for the viewer QuickTime VR I offered to Apple that I wanted to use it. As a result of Apple's offering the pre-release QuickTime VR software, NBC created panoramic images of 26 different places and used them for broadcasting. David Bowman, the producer of the NBC news at the time, said "QuickTime VR was a surprisingly effective tool."

Born in the era of Scully CEO and released by Scully after leaving Apple, QuickTime VR never gained importance under the Jobs regime that came back to Apple CEO. Mr. Bowman said, "QuickTime VR is a technique born in the Scully days before Jobs returned, and I think that after attending Jobs, attention was not paid to the product in the absence of Jobs." .

Ultimately, after Apple's return to Jobs, while successfully succeeding with products such as iMac, iPod, iPhone, etc., the development of QuickTime VR quietly ended, support was aborted by QuickTimeX, and some users missed it While it was being disappeared.