Apple PDA?

[MacRumors]

While it may simply be speculation, one columnist claims "there's good reason to believe that a jazzy new Newton II will be forthcoming, perhaps in January" from Apple.

The original Newton was created by Apple in the early 90's and represented the first Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). The early Newtons were met with substantial criticism for its handwriting recognition. This technology was significantly improved in later revisions and later became integrated into Mac OS X as "Inkwell".

Quicktime movies of a Newton 2000 in action:

Say Hello to Newton
Newton Assistant
Newton Trash

Rumors of an Apple-branded tablet resurfaced last year from traditionally accurate sources. (eWeek, ThinkSecret) However, Jobs has been publicly skeptical of the concept of tablets:

We're not sure the tablet PC will be successful. It's turned into a notebook that you can write on. Do you want to handwrite all your e-mail? We have all the technology ourselves to do that - we just don't know whether it will be successful.

 

[punter]

AGAIN?!

This author has nothing, he's just guessing. Maybe he is right, but it's nothing to get your (or my) hopes up about.

I would like an Apple phone, but listening to Jobs talk at that investors conference makes me rule that one out.

 

[the_mole1314]

The 'columnist' that said this was Devorak, the same guy who hates Apple and wants them to drop out.

Yeah, that's going to happen.

 

[Xero]

i agree this seems super unlikely. and if it were any decent small size, it would probably screw over a lot of iPod sales...

hm..

 

[azdude]

Yuk. Apple creates new markets... re-entering a horribly super-saturated one would be bad.

 

[revenuee]

One of these comes out like once a year.... people are still talking about the iPod becoming a PDA soon, or having a video screen .... i would wait till january to get exited

 

[Hemingray]

Unfortunately, that's gotta be complete and utter shash, but if they did make a new Newton, I'd buy one in a flat second.

 

[innervision]

this rumor just won't die!! i don't see it happening though, esp. given Jobs' public statements against PDA's

 

[cr2sh]

Why would Apple release such a product in January? That'd be a perfect Christmas gift..

 

[PGant]

Re: Dvorak's postualtions

Unsubstantiated claims and idle speculation amounts to little more than lazy reporting or tripe-like filler to satisfy an editor requested word-count for a column.

Sorry, but this guy has zero credibility in my books. When I see his columns, in don't even stop to read the headline before I turn the page.

 

[revenuee]

Originally posted by cr2sh
Why would Apple release such a product in January? That'd be a perfect Christmas gift..

Because with it's crappie shipping these days , it would never get here on Christmas

 

[punter]

what is newton 2000? Those (newly posted) movies look cool, even if they are black and white.

Nice editing on my previous post arn Sorry!

 

[snahabed]

Jobs knows that the future is smartphones. It was only a matter of time before the right form factor came along... the Treo 600 is about as good as it comes in that area. Once technology is cheaper and more advanced, products like it will take off.

Standalones are dying off. Jobs has predicted that for years.

As cool as it would be to have an Apple smartphone with OS X Lite, it ainnnnt gonna happen.

 

[revenuee]

Originally posted by punter
what is newton 2000? Those (newly posted) movies look cool, even if they are black and white.

Nice editing on my previous post arn Sorry!

i'm pretty sure this is an older product that apple tried doing... i recall those were commercials or advertisements of some sort.

 

[arn]

Originally posted by revenuee
i'm pretty sure this is an older product that apple tried doing... i recall those were commercials or advertisements of some sort.

The Newton 2000 was the last revision of the Newton. Released in 1997 or so.

Those are videos I recorded myself.

arn

 

[Photorun]

After Jobs said to a guy in 97 at a conference "I'll tell you what you can do with that Newton" [as in up his arse] when a guy asked what he can do for continued support, I find it incredibly improbable Jobs would ever resurrect something that wasn't created during his tenure. He's repeatedly said that the PDA market is saturated and he doesn't feel that it'd be wise to enter a field that currently is having financial pains. File the rumor with the dry ice cooled G6 Powerbooks due next week running at 4.7 TBs.

 

[SiliconAddict]

Hell Freezing over II

I wish. I think we already had our hell freeze over event for the millennium.

My Messagepad 2100 is starting to show its age. I would kill for an update. When I look at my Jornada Pocket PC and consider what would have happened if the Messsagepad never got the Ax it makes me want to break down and cry.

Damn Jobs for killing my baby Damn him and his arrogant attitude. One of three things will need to happen before the Newton returns.
1. Jobs dies.
2. Jobs retires.
3. A massive coup by all the Newton fans still out there.

 

[DGFan]

LOL

John Dvorak....the historical fountain of wisdom for all things Apple.

 

[Spock]

I would like it if Apple made the Newton OS Open source. I would love to put Newton OS 2.1 on my Palm Tungsten.

 

[SiliconAddict]

Originally posted by DGFan
LOL

John Dvorak....the historical fountain of wisdom for all things Apple.

This was from John Dvorak?!?!?

Arn you need a Page 3.

 

[whooleytoo]

Originally posted by snahabed
Jobs knows that the future is smartphones. It was only a matter of time before the right form factor came along... the Treo 600 is about as good as it comes in that area. Once technology is cheaper and more advanced, products like it will take off.

Standalones are dying off. Jobs has predicted that for years.

Yup, the thing about smartphones is they already have a killer app (telephony!) which people really need, are used to paying for, and willing to pay for. The extra functions are nice, but not enough on their own to sell the device.

Similarly the iPod has it's killer app - music playing - so there is plenty scope there for it to move into the "PDA" domain if Apple want (more like "when Apple want" if you ask me).

 

[ejb190]

I realize Apple probably won't enter the PDA market anytime soon. But let's play "what if?"

What if Apple did decde to get back into the PDA market? Apple has a tradition of re-inventing how a particular product functions, is perceived, and even how it functions. If instance, the iMac changed the notion of an entry level computer being boring and unfunctional. iLife brought "professional" tasks like video editing to a point where anyone could do it. And the iPod is, well, it's the iPod.

So how can the PDA be reinvented? What function or task is missing from the current crop of devices? What would make a PDA the next "must have" device?

 

[iEric]

I would buy one if they came out with one. But it must have iPod capabilities!..

 

[cubist]

Originally posted by SiliconAddict
This was from John Dvorak?!?!?

Arn you need a Page 3.

Right. The same guy who predicted, just before the G5's came out, that the new systems would be based on the Intel Itanic. Not even out in left field - he's in the wrong stadium.

 

[Marble]

Dvorak strikes again.