Company:Pixo
 | |
| Industry | Mobile software |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Sun Microsystems |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Paul Mercer |
| Defunct | 2003 |
| Products | Pixo OS |
Pixo was a company that developed infrastructure for hand-held devices. It was founded in 1994 when Paul Mercer, a software developer at Apple, left to form his own company.[1] The company developed a system software toolkit in C++[2] for use on cell phones and other hand-held devices. Pixo was acquired by Sun Microsystems in 2003, and Sun was in turn acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2010.[1]
Pixo OS and use in Apple's iPod
In 2001, Pixo was rehired by Apple to adapt their system software for use in the iPod.[3] The use of the Pixo OS in the iPod was never formally announced, although the first-generation iPod's "About iPod" display includes a mention of Pixo, and a Connectix biography of their VP of engineering Mike Neil mentions his role as "lead architect on the Pixo OS that is used in ... the Apple iPod".[4] Apple acquired the Pixo OS shortly after shipping the iPod[citation needed] and removed mention of Pixo from the "About iPod" display with a firmware update to the first-generation iPod.
On April 9, 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the shipment of its 100 millionth iPod,[5] making the Pixo OS one of the most widely used embedded operating systems.
With the 2014 discontinuation of the iPod Classic[6] and the 2017 discontinuation of the iPod Nano,[7] which did not run iOS,[8] Apple no longer sells a Pixo-based iPod.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Markoff, John (27 February 2006), "He Helped Build the iPod; Now He Has Built a Rival", The New York Times, archived from the original on 2015-07-05, https://web.archive.org/web/20150705231554/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/technology/27mercer.html?ei=5088&en=7ca4508916893a7f&ex=1298696400&pagewanted=all&_r=0, retrieved 4 January 2011
- ↑ Stroustrup, Bjarne, C++ Applications, http://www.stroustrup.com/applications.html, retrieved 26 August 2012
- ↑ Yi, Matthew (16 August 2004), "Little-known startup was behind iPod's easy-to-use interface", San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Little-known-startup-was-behind-iPod-s-2733248.php, retrieved November 10, 2012
- ↑ "About Connectix". Archived from the original on August 6, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030806065941/http://www.connectix.com/about/bios.html. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
- ↑ 100 Million iPods Sold, archived from the original on 16 April 2007, https://web.archive.org/web/20070416004418/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/09ipod.html, retrieved 4 January 2011
- ↑ "iPod Classic retired: Fans mourn as Apple quietly kills off its most iconic gadget". The Independent. 11 September 2014. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/ipod-classic-retired-fans-mourn-as-apple-quietly-kills-off-iconic-gadget-9724939.html. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ↑ "Apple removes iPod nano and shuffle from website hinting at discontinuation". 9to5Mac. 27 July 2017. https://9to5mac.com/2017/07/27/apple-removes-ipod-shuffle-nano-sale-discontinue/. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ↑ "6G iPod nano hack just beginning of long road to nano apps". Ars Technica. 3 January 2011. https://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/01/6g-ipod-nano-hack-just-beginning-of-long-road-to-nano-apps/. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
External links
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