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. They were acquired by Sun Microsystems in 2003.[1]
Pixo OS and use in Apple's iPod
In 2001, Pixo was hired 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 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.
As of December 2013, Pixo OS continued to be used on the iPod Classic and iPod Nano, which do not run iOS.[6]
References
- 1 2 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, retrieved 4 January 2011
- ↑ Stroustrup, Bjarne, C++ Applications, retrieved 26 August 2012
- ↑ Yi, Matthew (16 August 2004), "Little-known startup was behind iPod's easy-to-use interface", San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved November 10, 2012
- ↑ About Connectix at the Wayback Machine (archived August 6, 2003)
- ↑ 100 Million iPods Sold, retrieved 4 January 2011
- ↑ "6G iPod nano hack just beginning of long road to nano apps". Ars Technica. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
External links
- Pixo.com website at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
- Capabilities and features of the Pixo OS Platform 2.1 at the Wayback Machine (archived August 15, 2001)
- Sun Press Release announcing completion of acquisition at the Wayback Machine (archived January 17, 2007)
- Bill Mogridge video interview of Paul Mercers involvement in the design of the iPod