Microsoft PowerPoint

History and Acquisition of PowerPoint
- Created by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin at Forethought, Inc.
- Released on April 20, 1987, initially for Macintosh computers only
- Microsoft acquired PowerPoint for about $14 million three months after its release
- PowerPoint became a component of the Microsoft Office suite in 1989 for Macintosh and 1990 for Windows
- PowerPoint's market share has been estimated at 95 percent since the late 1990s

Development and Evolution of PowerPoint
- PowerPoint was initially used to produce overhead transparencies and color 35mm slides
- The third version introduced video output of virtual slideshows to digital projectors, replacing physical transparencies and slides
- PowerPoint has undergone a dozen major versions, adding new features and expanding to different platforms
- Versions for iOS, Android, and web access have been developed
- PowerPoint has become a widely used communication tool in various contexts beyond business presentations

Impact and Controversy of PowerPoint
- PowerPoint's worldwide market share of presentation software has been estimated at 95 percent since the late 1990s
- The widespread use of PowerPoint led to the development of a new form of communication
- There have been debates and suggestions on how PowerPoint should be used less, differently, or better
- PowerPoint has been criticized for its potential to oversimplify complex information
- Despite the controversies, PowerPoint remains a popular and widely used presentation software

Integration into Microsoft Office and Market Presence
- PowerPoint was included in Microsoft Office from the beginning
- PowerPoint 2.0 for Macintosh and Windows were part of Office bundles
- PowerPoint 3.0 was separately specified and developed but included in Office
- PowerPoint 4.0 marked the shift towards integrated development with other Office applications
- PowerPoint revenue exceeded $100 million annually by the last six months of 1992

Different Uses and Platforms of PowerPoint
- PowerPoint can be used to deliver presentations in various ways, including live audience projection, printing as paper documents, and distribution as files for private viewing
- PowerPoint presentations can be packaged for distribution on CD or a network, transmitted as live broadcasts over the web, embedded in web pages or shared on social networks
- PowerPoint can be set up as a self-running unattended display or recorded as video/audio for distribution
- Different ways of using PowerPoint can influence the content of presentations, with slides carrying more substance when they need to convey information without oral explanation
- PowerPoint has been adopted for personal computing and has scaled up the production of presentations in various contexts beyond business