The return of the Newton

[grafikat]

I've been carrying the banner for an apple umpc for years now (just do a search in these forums!). I would love to have a handheld surfin' device, light weight, and about 1/2 the size of an MB screen. The iPhone is difficult to surf with...especially us old folks.

Apple UMPC = iNewton

 

[MattInOz]

This device will run a full Mac OS X thanks to the new Intel Silverthorne chip. We need tons for our University. WITH SDK and productivity applications. A TRUE FULL COMPUTER ON YOUR HAND. Just cannot wait!

Yes, yes, yes,...
This thing is the touch OS running on low power x86 chip not an ARM like iPod or iPhone.
It's size is a constrained by the largest high res screen they can multitouch and
yet large enough to cool and ultra-low power processor and shoehorn in decent battery life.
If they can get around the same power of a G4 1ghz this thing will rock.
and if it runs OS X on x86 they don't Apple to worry about publically supporting API's on two platforms.

 

[koobcamuk]

I would love to have a handheld surfin' device, light weight, and about 1/2 the size of an MB screen. The iPhone is difficult to surf with...especially us old folks.

I suggest you stop trying to surf and get a boat.

 

[DaBrain]

If we had not had enough whiners complaining about how the iphone is great but it has this wrong with it........

or...............

how the ipod touch is great but it just is not like the iphone and doesn't have enough memory....

well...........

Now we can have complainers saying the apple newton 2 is super but its just not anything like the ipod touch or the iphone....waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

I got an idea why dont you duct tape all 3 devices together and you'll get everything you want.

Are You Complaining?

 

[MattInOz]

I agree with Analog Kid. It's not that such a device wouldn't be useful to some people, but I don't think there's enough of a market for it.

Beyond the "Cool! It's a Mac tablet!!! OMG!!!" factor, where does this device actually fit in peoples' lives? Not just MR members who have 3 or 4 Macs and would love another toy, but regular people that constitute the majority of sales?

As cool as this could be, I think it's largely a solution in search of a problem. And probably a feasibility protoype as well, rather than something that is already planned for production.

As i understand it the biggest selling size of note pad is A5, it's used in the field by so many professionals, students, and company rep's. Much of information is scanned or re-Typed then in to a computer, at a later time or not and they then have to flick back pages to find the info. There are so many times where even a small laptop can't be used.

Nail this device, and everyone who keeps a note pad on there desk for when they need to duck into a quick meeting, or out to job site, or down to the factory floor, will buy one.

The reason it din't work in the past is the two reason SteveJ told the Medical Industry when they asked for such a thing.
Needs High res screen, needs high bandwidth wifi.
With the underlying requirements enough processor and enough battery to run those two things.
It would seem we are getting damn close to meeting those requirements

 

[jackc]

Maybe it will just be a sub-sub-notebook, followed by sub-notebook, followed by 12-incher.

 

[LizKat]

This is incredibly stupid. So if you eleminate all the blackberry/iphone/treo users you find that there are only 4 or 5 PDA-alone users left. Why not spend your time making the iphone 3g, w/video, plus enterprise service? or something like that.

This is a tremendous pile of poo, there is no way that he's gonna revive the newton when noone would buy one.

Ahem. Steve wrote the above himself. Means it's almost ready to ship.

Are ya ready for some RIMball?!

 

[offwidafairies]

I'm surprised there isn't any multi-touch porn yet given the public's propensity for that sort of thing.
It's a pretty obvious application of "touch" technology.

You have a picture/movie of a girl on the screen and you, uh .. you know "multi-touch" her to get her to do, uh ... stuff.

thats a great idea. sadly only a male could have come up with. porn is so degrading. yet i love it at the same time.

 

[MacinDoc]

Another vote for iPhone Pro (or Phone Pro).
Intel C2D U7500 (10 watts, 1.06 GHz).
32 GB Flash.
OS X Touch.
$999.
Coming next June.

 

[Abstract]

This is going to go as well as the iPod Hi-Fi.

 

[MattInOz]

Bye ,Bye Macbook...

You served us well.

with rumors of the Macbook going all Pro in styling and features.
Treating the laptop as a desktop replacement, like the Pro's are now.
Then it makes sense to kill the Plastic MacBooks, and move this device in to that Student driven market that always defined iBook, MacBook and whatever this thing is.

Timing makes sense to If Macbook redesign is due at MacWorld and so are these.

 

[DoFoT9]

that would be bliss i would SO buy one. lol then i would have to buy, itouch, ipod, AND ipad??? lol i wonder what itl be called...hhmmm

 

[EagerDragon]

Surely the iPhone as it stands isn't far off from being a PDA?

Clearly the question is .... What does this device has that the iPhone does not have, and it makes it a PDA.

 

[EagerDragon]

The interface is pretty much there already. As long as they nail the handwriting recognition (do people still do that?), they will be fine. All I can think of is that Simpsons episode with the "beat up martin" Newton.

There does not seem to be a stilus, writing with your fingers may not be as nice (too fat). I do not believe stilus works on touch screen today. IMHO no handwriting will be there, but I could be wrong.

 

[EagerDragon]

Agree.

Can't see it. This whole thing seems like an application on iPhone. People don't want multiple items - they want 1 gadget to rule them all PDA, Phone, Camera, Music Player all in one. How many things do people want in their pockets?

Assuming for a moment that such device exist, the iphone screen is still too small to do some things.

There is no mention of phone capability in this new device, besides it may be dorky to hold that big device to the face to speak.

If this exist, i do not think it will have phone capabilities. If it does .... it can not be twice the iPhone in size. Maybe this is the real iTablet and not a PDA.

 

[pohl]

*cough* iPhone Extreme

iPad.

 

[EagerDragon]

I'd love to see something like this come out of the Apple camp. I wold honestly prefer something with a 10 inch screen. I'm not a gadget person, but I've wanted a good ebook reader that I cold also use to surf the web, check email and instant message while in bed or on the couch. If it can use it as a remote as well or record TV, that would be an added bonus.

I would love an iTablet of 9 to 10 inches. Retire the laptop, also get a desktop for the creative side and computer games. On the road, at the hotel, in meetings, a full fledge computer with small size and tablet form would be great for presentations, taking notes, etc.. Specialy if you can sync remotely to office and or home for that forgotten document. Maybe 1 to 2 pounds and flash based (16-32 Gig). Wow. iPhone on the belt for phone calls.

 

[eytanb]

What about a voice recognition tablet

I have been waiting a decade for a small voice recognition device. It would probably change the market since many others would agree. My dream would be that Apple comes up with the first one in the form of a tablet with voice recognition. How long will I have to wait?

 

[DoFoT9]

iPad.

hahah thats what i said!!!!! its quite catchy

 

[sushi]

I'm surprised there isn't any multi-touch porn yet given the public's propensity for that sort of thing.
It's a pretty obvious application of "touch" technology.

You have a picture/movie of a girl on the screen and you, uh .. you know "multi-touch" her to get her to do, uh ... stuff.

A long time ago, there was something like this called MacPlaymate.

Only you used your mouse, pen or trackball instead of your finger.

 

[michelepri]

I really need a PDA. I've been looking at palm again (after a few years) because there don't seem to be alternatives on the market. The best thing would be a PDA that also works as telephone, but Apple's pro carrier philosophy would make that impossible. I've been looking at the samsung i600 smart phone but it's not perfect. I looked at the Sony P1, very nice but very ugly and low resolution. I looked at the Nokia E90, it seems to be very nice, but I don't trust Nokia that much. I've heard of great future IPhone alternatives from Hungary and Samsung, but that's in the future. So a nice PDA would be a great product for me at this point in time.

 

[syriana]

Yes, yes, yes,...
This thing is the touch OS running on low power x86 chip not an ARM like iPod or iPhone.
It's size is a constrained by the largest high res screen they can multitouch and
yet large enough to cool and ultra-low power processor and shoehorn in decent battery life.
If they can get around the same power of a G4 1ghz this thing will rock.
and if it runs OS X on x86 they don't Apple to worry about publically supporting API's on two platforms.

exactly, this is THE fondamental difference between iPodtouch/iPhone. The thing could have a SDK, a certified for iPodpro programm (please don't call it iPodpro ready or iPodpro capable..)
it may or may not have GSM/EDGE 3G data capabillity, or come in two version: one with, one without.
Hope it will come with real video output capability, the resolution output oh the iPodTouch is too small for a keynote presentation.

 

[syriana]

Another vote for iPhone Pro (or Phone Pro).
Intel C2D U7500 (10 watts, 1.06 GHz).
32 GB Flash.
OS X Touch.
$999.
Coming next June.

could be more of a UMPC then a phone..
Given the thin thin side on the picture, assuming it's a good description, there might not be phone chip inside it...
Intel C2D U7500: it's really really expensive, and 10 watts is a power hog, compared to the whispered 2 watts of silverthorne

 

[emotion]

could be more of a UMPC then a phone..
Given the thin thin side on the picture, assuming it's a good description, there might not be phone chip inside it...
Intel C2D U7500: it's really really expensive, and 10 watts is a power hog, compared to the whispered 2 watts of silverthorne

I think we'll see this device after Silverthorne comes out too.

It won't be labelled a phone though.

 

[ju5tin81]

As i understand it the biggest selling size of note pad is A5, it's used in the field by so many professionals, students, and company rep's. Much of information is scanned or re-Typed then in to a computer, at a later time or not and they then have to flick back pages to find the info. There are so many times where even a small laptop can't be used.

Nail this device, and everyone who keeps a note pad on there desk for when they need to duck into a quick meeting, or out to job site, or down to the factory floor, will buy one.

Yeah, but I imagine there will be a problem justifying a £400 tablet,(This is Apple after all) when a 50p A5 notebook could do the same job, and would be 'compatible' with everything.... Heck, people could even pritt-stick other notes and images in, without fear of their investment being ruined by a software update!