TAPI 2.0 and the Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems provide the most powerful and flexible platforms for the development and use of CTI applications. TAPI 2.0 is supported by a full range of complementary APIs to enable a broad range of powerful, easy-to-use telephony and communications applications for a wide range of customers. Microsoft ActiveX Controls give developers powerful and easy-to-implement "plug-in" software components that simplify the development process, allowing developers to focus on creating their own value-added applications.
For developers and vendors of CTI software and hardware, the combination of Windows and TAPI 2.0 creates a new world of opportunities. As the computer and telephone are merged to create a new generation of communicating PCs, there should be an explosive demand for telephony applications, and the Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems represent huge markets for such products.
And because TAPI 2.0 is built into Windows NT 4.0 (and will soon be made available for Windows 95), it will already be on a user's system, ready to enable whatever TAPI 2.0 telephony applications are placed on the market.
TAPI's hardware abstraction frees developers from having to create separate applications for each switch, just as TAPI's UniModem support protects developers from the exhaustive chore of having to directly support the vast array of modems.
CTI is beginning to revolutionize the manner in which people interact with telecommunications. This compelling combination of openness, comprehensiveness, scalability, and integration makes TAPI and Windows-based telephony the platform of choice for what should be an exciting and booming market.