AOL's Case Keynotes Spring Internet World 2000

Steve Case, chairman and CEO of America Online - which will soon become AOL/Time Warner - delivered the opening keynote address of Spring Internet World 2000, an all-Internet trade show, before a standing-room-only crowd in the auditorium at the Los Angeles Convention Center today. Case opened his remarks by saying, "This is an incredibly exciting time, and that we are literally changing the world." The future, Case said, is about creativity and building a bridge between people and the services offered, and services that will be offered, by the Internet.

Cases first announcement was the debut of Netscape 6, which he said
would provide greater speed and convenience.

The second announcement related to an alliance between AOL and
Gateway Computers for Gateway to produce a series of Internet
appliances that "would bring the advantage of the Internet into every
room in the home."

Case prefaced his disclosure of AOL's new and improved Netscape
browser, and its alliance with Gateway, by pointing out that AOL is in
a position to transform the lives of hundreds of millions of people
around the world, and he retraced the steps taken in the development of the Internet.

Just ten years ago, Case said, not only was there no business being
conducted on the Internet, it would have been illegal to use the Internet
for commercial purposes.

Just ten years ago, Case said, not only was there no business being
conducted on the Internet, it would have been illegal to use the Internet
for commercial purposes.

Even five years ago, Case pointed out, the letter "e" was just the fifth
letter of the alphabet.

Case said that today, there are 200 million people online around the
world who can view the content of 800 million Web pages.

Today, Case said, people can do just about anything online and that
"this is the beginning of the world we all dreamed about creating, and
we are only scratching the surface."

Case made the point several times that we are not just living through
a period of change; we are living at the start of the second Internet
revolution. This revolution is defined by the two Cs - consumers and
convergence.

Case said that Netscape 6, powered by Gecko technology, would provide
several advantages to the consumer. It would give users greater speed,
convenience, and customization while operating on a variety of
platforms. It would also help consumers take advantage of all the
applications that will reside on the Web in the future.

The AOL/Gateway alliance will create a countertop device, proudly
shown to the audience by Case, which will provide specialized access to
the Internet via a wireless keyboard. The new appliance is designed for
placement in the kitchen or anyplace where selected Internet access is
desired.

Case also showed off a wireless Web Pad that can be carried by a user
from room to room and used to access e-mail and music.

Case also recognized that high quality content is necessary in getting
consumers to want to use these new devices. He acknowledged that
consumers will not tolerate poor content, and he pledged that AOL would
offer high quality content, not only through Time Warner, but also by
offering the high-quality content of other producers.

This pledge to open AOL to the content of others, Case reminded his
audience, is similar to AOL's promise to allow open access to its Time
Warner cable network.

The next ten years, according to Case, will see a change in the landscape
of communications and entertainment. The goal is in seeing, not just
what is, but what will be, he said.

Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com.