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Hip Hop Legend, iTunes And DSP Developers Inducted Into CTA Hall Of Fame

Eight new members inducted

CTA Hall of Fame, Class of 2022 (from left to right): Mike May, Hank Shocklee, Apple’s Jeff Robbin, Dave Heller and Bill Kinkaid, VAC’s Joseph Akhtarzad, Samsung’s Tim Baxter, TI’s Wanda Gass, and CTA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. (image credit: Stewart Wolpin)

CTA inducted eight new members into its Hall of Fame on November 15, 2022, at a gala dinner in New York City. The class of 2022 includes:

Jeff Robbin, Bill Kincaid, and Dave Heller developed Apple’s iTunes, the most popular digital media software in the world. The three first developed SoundJam (1999), the first digital jukebox software for the Mac, which Apple bought in 2000. Using SoundJam as a foundation, the trio developed iTunes, which became the cornerstone of Apple’s media devices and services including the iPod, the iTunes Store, Podcasts, Apple TV, the App Store, Apple Music, and other digital media products.

Joseph and Mayer Akhtarzad founded Los Angeles’ premier consumer technology retailer, Video and Audio Center (VAC), and the Just One Touch whole home technology showrooms. VAC is known throughout the industry for its three Ds approach: discovery, desire, and demand, and for being the first in the nation to sell the newest equipment and technologies, as a consultant to leading consumer technology vendors, and as the A/V resource to the stars.

Tim Baxter spent 35 years as a consumer technology executive with AT&T, Sony, and then Samsung in 2006. As president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America, he oversaw Samsung’s rise to become the top seller of TVs, appliances, and smartphones. During his tenure, Baxter helped Samsung grow from $6 to $30 billion in annual sales and transformed the company from a Tier 2 to a global top five brand. He also served as a CTA director and as a member of CTIA’s executive board.

Wanda Gass, a Texas Instruments engineer, played a crucial role in the development of the digital signal processor (DSP) from which all digital device functions stem and speech recognition technologies that led to today’s voice control interfaces. During her career, Gass contributed to advances in medical transition to better instrumentation and the multimedia industry’s conversion to digital technology. She also has broken barriers and paved the way for generations of women engineers.

Mike May was a pioneer in the development of the Finial laser turntable, led Custom-Eyes Computer Systems that provided adaptive computer systems for the blind, designed some of the first accessible OCR systems for the blind, the Sendero accessible GPS and the GoodMaps indoor navigation technology for people who are blind or visually impaired. He underwent a rare stem-cell transplant that restored some vision after 43 years of total blindness and still holds the downhill skiing speed record for a blind person of 65 MPH.

Hank Shocklee has used his standing in the music world as a founding member of pioneering hip-hop Rock and Roll Hall of Fame groups Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad music production team to influence the U.S. Congress to permanently shelve the controversial anti-piracy Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) legislation (2012), which threatened to censor creativity and stifle innovation. Shocklee has become a ubiquitous CES Ambassador and advocate for consumer technology rights.

Vox founder John Shalam and his wife Jane were also honored for their many contributions to CTA and the industry with an award named for them. The first John and Jane Shalam Award for essential and innovative work in combating social isolation was given to Dr. Thomas Kamber, co-founder and executive director of Oats (Older Adults Technology Services), which helps seniors learn and use technology so they could live better in the digital age. After a cake was brought to the stage, CTA president and CEO Gary Shapiro led the dinner audience in “Happy Birthday” for John Shalam, who turns 89 on December 10.

See also: What To Expect At CES 2023 And This Holiday Season

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