Industry Mobile software Successor Sun Microsystems Products Pixo OS Founded 1994 | Fate Acquired Defunct 2003 (2003) Founder Paul Mercer | |
Pixo
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. The company developed a system software toolkit in C++ for use on cell phones and other hand-held devices. They were acquired by Sun Microsystems in 2003.
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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. 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". 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, 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.