Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD.
and Sun Microsystems, Inc. Work Together on Java Technology to Address Growing Consumer
Appliance Market
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. to Utilize Java Technology
in a Vast Range of Consumer Devices
PALO ALTO, Calif. and TOKYO, Japan. - December 15, 1998 -- Matsushita Electric
Industrial Co, Ltd. ("MEI") and Sun Microsystems, Inc. ("Sun")
today announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to further develop
Java Technology implementations for network-aware digital consumer electronics.
The companies share a strong interest in accelerating the convergence of digital
consumer electronics and computer networking technologies. The combination of MEI's
technology and experience in consumer electronics products -- along with Sun's experience
in network computing and Java Technology -- will place an emphasis on exploring
digital audio-visual network architectures.
As the network becomes an increasingly integral part of consumer's lives, a multitude
of consumer appliances will utilize the new range of services available. The next
generation of products capable of utilizing an array of content from the network
for information and communication will include: TVs, phones, PDAs and traditional
appliances, such as air conditioners. The full- scale introduction of digital TV
broadcasting in the U.S. (November 1998) encourages the rapid development of network-aware
digital consumer equipment.
The memorandum of understanding covers the following areas:
MEI and Sun to enter into a licensing agreement for PersonalJavaTM - MEI and Sun
to work together for the development of a common Java API and its adaptation to
the Java platform for digital TV products
MEI and Sun to engage in the evaluation and investigation of smaller footprint
Java platform and associated API to be used for wide-range electrical appliances
such as digital audio-video equipment and home appliances
"Adaptation of Java technology will help Matsushita to develop and deliver
a new breed of digital consumer appliances that allow consumers to exploit the benefits
of the network," said Kazuhiko Sugiyama, executive vice president of MEI. "Today's
announcement is a first step towards broader collaboration with Sun Microsystems.
Matsushita is pleased to establish a strategic partnership with the global leader
of network computing."
"We are honored that a global leader in the consumer electronics industry
has embraced the Java Platform for the next generation of consumer devices,"
said Mark Tolliver, president of Sun's Consumer and Embedded Division. "This
marks a pivotal point in the adoption of Java technology in the consumer and embedded
market enabling MEI's products to exploit the power of the increasing number of
services available in an ever-evolving global network."
About Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) is one of the world's leading
developer and producers of digital electronic products for the home, the office,
and in between. Based in Osaka, Japan, it recorded annual sales of $59.8billion
in the last fiscal year. Best known for the Panasonic brand name, the company also
sells products under the Technics, Quasar, and National brands around the world.
For information on Panasonic and Matsushita visit our Web site at http://www.panasonic.com.
About Sun Microsystems
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The ComputerTM,"
has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW), to its position as a leading
provider of high quality hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide
intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $10 billion in
annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide
Web at http://sun.com.
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