It's been almost six years since Apple cancelled the Newton and we all started obsessing about what would replace it.
If you're a new Mac user, fine. Speculate away. But most of the vets here have given up the fight. I personally bowed my head in prayer, asked for forgiveness, and bought an M505 little over a year ago.
It's a new year guys and if this guy's got real info, more power to him. We'll see in the summer.
Any actual information (which means "zero or more actual information") he received would necessarily be filtered through his lack of technical understanding. That's not a flame; he's not a systems guy.
So, keeping in mind that I'm not saying I believe him, here are a few possibilities:
He mentions a "light" OS X and QuickTime. This is actually possible: It's not widely known, but QuickTime is a complete system API. You could slip a kernel under it and ship it, and have something very close to a fully functional operating system (that was absolute hell to code for, but that's a different problem). So, adapt the OS X kernel, and use QuickTime as the system API. Preferably the long-rumored and eagerly anticipated QuickTime 7.
QuickTime is usable for any kind of data or application that incorporates time or timing in any way. Historically, that's been audio or video, but nothing stops it from running a calendar, as far as I'm aware.
How often are you away from a power source for two months? Sure, it's nice to have that kind of battery life, but if the tradeoff is an anemic machine that you don't use, who cares? It seems to me that something approaching one-day battery life would work well in practice. Just recharge it the same way you recharge an iPod.
A hard drive means no more silly limits about how many addresses or contacts you can store, and it means that you can use it to tote files around as well, and MPEG-4 movies, and photos, etc. The additional capacity would actually allow it to do things that no phone will be doing for a good while yet. This is crucial if you want to give someone a reason to buy this putative PDA instead of a smart phone - in fact, ideally, this thing would compliment your phone.
Why is Apple keeping Ink around again? For the percentage of its users who enjoy writing longhand on their Wacoms? I think not.
Not if it couldn't be functionally compared to any of those PDAs - which are currently getting eaten alive by phones, and thus don't really set a standard that anyone should aspire to.
I like everything you're saying. It's time for iPod II, and these descriptions are exactly where Apple could be taking the device. Leave the minis as the "music only" players and release the next generation iPod as the next logical step in it's development.
Apple would need to make it PC compatible with Firewire and USB2 dock (not to mention Bluetooth). That means iSync for the PC. Include great built-in apps, since most people use the apps that came with the PDA and nothing else, and make the PDA OS based on OS X and integrate it with Xcode so building apps for it is easier than Palm.
And almost every single PocketPC out there has a cheesy 240x320 screen while Palm devices usually have a 320x320 or 320x480 screen. Give it a nice screen Apple. And make it no bigger than a PocketPC.
[B]Apple would need to make it PC compatible with Firewire and USB2 dock (not to mention Bluetooth). That means iSync for the PC.
All really good suggestions but Apple doesnt need to build a new product, just redev the iPod. The iPod just needs to have a touch screen,
and stylus and bluetooth. ( oh a a bluetooth headset ) Currently i carry a new Ipod, my Ipac 1910 which i can sync with missing sync and my t68i phone. As well as lugging my tiBook - Im happy with the Ti as that stays in the briefcase when not in use... but the others I NEED ONE DEVICE. No PDA can match the Ipod for music storage and the ipac for my contacts. The reason I carry my iPaq is so i can enter contacts on the go. My iPod just isnt designed for this ... right now anyway
well, i don't think you'd want to sync your music files with bluetooth. isn't bluetooth rather slow?
Climb into a new Acura TL and check out the bluetooth enabled navigation system. If you have a bluetooth phone anywhere in or near the car, you can answer it handsfree from the voice activated on-board computer. It displays incomming calls on the screen and allows you to tell it to answer! Then you are talking wireless and handsfree over the car's sound system. If the iPod had bluetooth - and it was fast enough - you could access all you music handsfree and wirelessly (is that a word?). I'm sure that you could view your library on the nav display and tell it to play, search, etc...
I have no idea about the likely-hood of this notion, but one thing bothers me about the article: it tries too hard.
Think about it: when someone has a real insider tip, they describe what they know, talk about what they can't say, maybe give some backgound on how it fits into the overall scheme of things.
This guy is arguing his case like an FH dreamer tryng to will a product into existence. Lots of (purely subjective) talk about how the market is ripe for this product now, how Apple is the one to do it right, extrapolating from previous conditions, making what is to me a rather laborious case for why the product described would actually make sense. That just doesn't strike me as the tone a person with real info would take.
John Manzione has more on this issue up on his website again. I guess he got a few responses from readers. Maybe he's just trying to drum up traffic for his site?
I love it, it is a beautiful notebook for sketching and notetaking.
It has a beautiful history.. and is the right size for drawing (9x14cm).
I love to draw and I think there is a lot of mac-user who loves drawing and use a notebook for notetaking during travels and keep in it tickets, photos...
Not a real pda but an hi res device for drawing, (with a photocamera?) and with address book, ical, itunes and iphotos. No more. Other apps are not important.
No flash memory but hard disk (like ipod mini)
A device for digital travelers. Where you can store info about places (pdf), images, maps, sounds and so on.
QT, safari, ical, iphoto, address book, sherlock and a sketchbook
option: camera
a normal pda will not sell.. but everyone travell and needs a map, or an address or info about film or restaurant or about a place, a museum and so on. With the GPS your digital guide could tell you all the info you need and you can record images, sketches, notes in only one device.
I think a phone is too small for such tasks. The pda is difficult to sell but a digital guide could be something for everyone.
I love it, it is a beautiful notebook for sketching and notetaking.
It has a beautiful history.. and is the right size for drawing (9x14cm).
I love to draw and I think there is a lot of mac-user who loves drawing and use a notebook for notetaking during travels and keep in it tickets, photos...
Not a real pda but an hi res device for drawing, (with a photocamera?) and with address book, ical, itunes and iphotos. No more. Other apps are not important.
No flash memory but hard disk (like ipod mini)
A device for digital travelers. Where you can store info about places (pdf), images, maps, sounds and so on.
Someone who's thinking about this the right way 'round. However, the handwriting recognition will make or break it regardless of the drawing capabilities.
I'm more interested in the size. Moleskin for the Pocket and A5 for the tablet. Got me thinking.
How about a PDA with three screens?
It would open just like a moleskin, with two facing pages (screens). You could hold it vertically or horizontally. The easiest way, might have the user open and hold the book horizontally, like a laptop clamshell, and write on the bottom screen while viewing the real-time transcription on the top screen. It's very comfortable for taking notes with one hand while supporting the device with the other, and it solves the screen real-estate problem by doubling up the screens. A landscape orientation, also gives your hand enough room to write large letters more quickly, without having to return to a new line right away. Seeing your actual scrawl on the bottom preserves continuity, while you see the actuall text transcription on the top.
The third screen would just be a tiny OLED on the outside cover, mated to an iPod scroll-wheel. From here you might automatically use any MP3/voice recording functions without actually opening up the device. Since the iPod jog wheel is solid state, a simple circuit can deactivate it whenever you open the case.
The whole thing could be about 2/3rds of an inch thick -- each half of the clamshell about 1/3rd -- one half holding a large battery, and the other half holding the electronic bits and a hard drive.
Benefits:
Small, yet big: it opens up to double the screen real-estate.
Screens are protected from scratchs without the need for any external cover.
Easy to hold and write or draw on.
...
I have often wanted a device to replace my pad and paper, that could go in my pocket, yet was legible and ergonomic. Add a microphone and a HDD so that I can store and sync a large number of documents/correspondence, and I can throw away three devices -- voice recorder, notepad, MP3 player.
Convenient enough that I would "pay" an Apple tax for it.
the big problem for pda is that there is no a killer app.
people don't want to spend $500 for a palm pda but will pay for the ipod.
ipod is the best mp3 player.. but a pda is not very useful: is bad for music, bad for calling and for websurfing.... SJ is right.
MS make the PocketPC but they loss a lot of money, the same happen with tablet. They can do it, they can try new technology and let the market decide. They are full of money to waste.
Apple can't do.
They have to do something for mass market, something that can be sold. Pda and cell phone is a difficult market. They have to invent a new way of using such technology. And build around that a new cool experience. Like the ipod. I think travelling is a human activity where people spend a lot and that could be supported better by technology.
Many buy cameras only to take shots during holidays. And a lot of guides. New pda with gps for car are selling very well.
I think that a gadget that can help the travelling experience could be wellcome.
ipod is the best mp3 player.. but a pda is not very useful: is bad for music, bad for calling and for websurfing.... SJ is right.
Most PDAs are poor at what they do. However, if Apple combines the iPod with a PDA, it should be a very good seller. Look at the market right now: You have PDAs, cell phones, and portable MP3 players. Cell Phones and PDAs are starting to merge, with great results. I like that my cell phone allows me to store a detailed address book and calendar that synchronizes with my Mac.
Considering the great sales of the iPod and the fact that most music players being released have no PDA capabilities at all, I think Apple could have a coup if they keep all the iPod functionality and ease of use and add all the PDA functions that people want as well. I also like that my iPod stores calendar and contact information, but wish it did more. Of course, I could be wrong. It appears that the target market for iPods is basically the same as the target market for Sony Walkmans. I hope Apple releases an iPod/PDA hybrid that allows the market to choose if they want it. I know I will buy one if they do.
I dunno. Manizone's article sounds like he just saw the SpyMac movie that had this tricked-up Palm with a hard drive taped to it "running" OS X - that came out just before the iPod was introduced.
But...
Apple is working on something in their skunkworks. About the size of two iPods side-by-side. For all I know, it might be a trackpad that could be hooked up to the computer via USB or Bluetooth to be used in place of a mouse. Tapping the screen is like clicking the one-button mouse that Apple is adamant about shipping with their computers. If it hooked up to the computer via FireWire, it could have a hard drive that could contain your Home folder and recharge the device. Inkwell support could be expanded to recognize writing with your finger (sounds a bit strange, but easy to get used to - just like a mouse was back in '84 - and do you really want to use a plastic easy-to-lose stylus). It would probably be easy to iSync everything from Mail contacts, to iCal dates, to iTunes songs, to iPhoto pictures and anything else you may need in your iLife.
Have I covered enough of the rumors floating around from defunct sites?
Comments
iPod plus PDA capability = iPod max.
Not going to happen guys.
Sorry.
If that is the case -- and judging by the way that he handled that-- I would give him all the credibility of autistic banana.
Originally posted by cubist
Makes you wonder if the guy really has seen a Clie. Those things are thin and tiny.
Makes me wonder if you've ever held a Sony Clie NZ90.
If you're a new Mac user, fine. Speculate away. But most of the vets here have given up the fight. I personally bowed my head in prayer, asked for forgiveness, and bought an M505 little over a year ago.
It's a new year guys and if this guy's got real info, more power to him. We'll see in the summer.
But if he's messing with us...
Originally posted by Amorph
Any actual information (which means "zero or more actual information") he received would necessarily be filtered through his lack of technical understanding. That's not a flame; he's not a systems guy.
So, keeping in mind that I'm not saying I believe him, here are a few possibilities:
He mentions a "light" OS X and QuickTime. This is actually possible: It's not widely known, but QuickTime is a complete system API. You could slip a kernel under it and ship it, and have something very close to a fully functional operating system (that was absolute hell to code for, but that's a different problem). So, adapt the OS X kernel, and use QuickTime as the system API. Preferably the long-rumored and eagerly anticipated QuickTime 7.
QuickTime is usable for any kind of data or application that incorporates time or timing in any way. Historically, that's been audio or video, but nothing stops it from running a calendar, as far as I'm aware.
How often are you away from a power source for two months? Sure, it's nice to have that kind of battery life, but if the tradeoff is an anemic machine that you don't use, who cares? It seems to me that something approaching one-day battery life would work well in practice. Just recharge it the same way you recharge an iPod.
A hard drive means no more silly limits about how many addresses or contacts you can store, and it means that you can use it to tote files around as well, and MPEG-4 movies, and photos, etc. The additional capacity would actually allow it to do things that no phone will be doing for a good while yet. This is crucial if you want to give someone a reason to buy this putative PDA instead of a smart phone - in fact, ideally, this thing would compliment your phone.
Why is Apple keeping Ink around again? For the percentage of its users who enjoy writing longhand on their Wacoms? I think not.
Not if it couldn't be functionally compared to any of those PDAs - which are currently getting eaten alive by phones, and thus don't really set a standard that anyone should aspire to.
I like everything you're saying. It's time for iPod II, and these descriptions are exactly where Apple could be taking the device. Leave the minis as the "music only" players and release the next generation iPod as the next logical step in it's development.
And almost every single PocketPC out there has a cheesy 240x320 screen while Palm devices usually have a 320x320 or 320x480 screen. Give it a nice screen Apple. And make it no bigger than a PocketPC.
[B]Apple would need to make it PC compatible with Firewire and USB2 dock (not to mention Bluetooth). That means iSync for the PC.
All really good suggestions but Apple doesnt need to build a new product, just redev the iPod. The iPod just needs to have a touch screen,
and stylus and bluetooth. ( oh a a bluetooth headset ) Currently i carry a new Ipod, my Ipac 1910 which i can sync with missing sync and my t68i phone. As well as lugging my tiBook - Im happy with the Ti as that stays in the briefcase when not in use... but the others I NEED ONE DEVICE. No PDA can match the Ipod for music storage and the ipac for my contacts. The reason I carry my iPaq is so i can enter contacts on the go. My iPod just isnt designed for this ... right now anyway
Originally posted by admactanium
well, i don't think you'd want to sync your music files with bluetooth. isn't bluetooth rather slow?
Climb into a new Acura TL and check out the bluetooth enabled navigation system. If you have a bluetooth phone anywhere in or near the car, you can answer it handsfree from the voice activated on-board computer. It displays incomming calls on the screen and allows you to tell it to answer! Then you are talking wireless and handsfree over the car's sound system. If the iPod had bluetooth - and it was fast enough - you could access all you music handsfree and wirelessly (is that a word?). I'm sure that you could view your library on the nav display and tell it to play, search, etc...
Think about it: when someone has a real insider tip, they describe what they know, talk about what they can't say, maybe give some backgound on how it fits into the overall scheme of things.
This guy is arguing his case like an FH dreamer tryng to will a product into existence. Lots of (purely subjective) talk about how the market is ripe for this product now, how Apple is the one to do it right, extrapolating from previous conditions, making what is to me a rather laborious case for why the product described would actually make sense. That just doesn't strike me as the tone a person with real info would take.
Matthew
http://www.macnet2.com/
(www.moleskine.com).
I love it, it is a beautiful notebook for sketching and notetaking.
It has a beautiful history.. and is the right size for drawing (9x14cm).
I love to draw and I think there is a lot of mac-user who loves drawing and use a notebook for notetaking during travels and keep in it tickets, photos...
Not a real pda but an hi res device for drawing, (with a photocamera?) and with address book, ical, itunes and iphotos. No more. Other apps are not important.
No flash memory but hard disk (like ipod mini)
A device for digital travelers. Where you can store info about places (pdf), images, maps, sounds and so on.
A Pocket pc (toshiba e800) with Pencil box (http://www.mentalmotions.com/showpage.php?page=pboxdl) could do this quite well.. but I am waiting for SJ.
Hope not to wait too long or for nothing..
gps system
wi-fi
4GB HD
QT, safari, ical, iphoto, address book, sherlock and a sketchbook
option: camera
a normal pda will not sell.. but everyone travell and needs a map, or an address or info about film or restaurant or about a place, a museum and so on. With the GPS your digital guide could tell you all the info you need and you can record images, sketches, notes in only one device.
I think a phone is too small for such tasks. The pda is difficult to sell but a digital guide could be something for everyone.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...threadid=60691
It's not AppleInsider, of course, but if you're willing to divert a bit....
Aries 1B
Another blurb in here (see link to Brighthand Rumor Mill):
Yawn. Usual rumor circle jerk repeat from (fill in site==MacNet2v).
Originally posted by audiopollution
Makes me wonder if you've ever held a Sony Clie NZ90.
Way to be the killjoy. Every other Clié´Ã*´s´tiny as hell. My NX60 is simply what the Newton should have been. NX60, NX70, NX80. All tiny compared to the 90.
That's like saying every vehicle Chevrolet makes is big, and your only evidence is the god damn Suburban.
Originally posted by nevoz
Apple should make a digital moleskine...
(www.moleskine.com).
I love it, it is a beautiful notebook for sketching and notetaking.
It has a beautiful history.. and is the right size for drawing (9x14cm).
I love to draw and I think there is a lot of mac-user who loves drawing and use a notebook for notetaking during travels and keep in it tickets, photos...
Not a real pda but an hi res device for drawing, (with a photocamera?) and with address book, ical, itunes and iphotos. No more. Other apps are not important.
No flash memory but hard disk (like ipod mini)
A device for digital travelers. Where you can store info about places (pdf), images, maps, sounds and so on.
A Pocket pc (toshiba e800) with Pencil box (http://www.mentalmotions.com/showpage.php?page=pboxdl) could do this quite well.. but I am waiting for SJ.
Hope not to wait too long or for nothing..
Someone who's thinking about this the right way 'round. However, the handwriting recognition will make or break it regardless of the drawing capabilities.
I'm more interested in the size. Moleskin for the Pocket and A5 for the tablet. Got me thinking.
How about a PDA with three screens?
It would open just like a moleskin, with two facing pages (screens). You could hold it vertically or horizontally. The easiest way, might have the user open and hold the book horizontally, like a laptop clamshell, and write on the bottom screen while viewing the real-time transcription on the top screen. It's very comfortable for taking notes with one hand while supporting the device with the other, and it solves the screen real-estate problem by doubling up the screens. A landscape orientation, also gives your hand enough room to write large letters more quickly, without having to return to a new line right away. Seeing your actual scrawl on the bottom preserves continuity, while you see the actuall text transcription on the top.
The third screen would just be a tiny OLED on the outside cover, mated to an iPod scroll-wheel. From here you might automatically use any MP3/voice recording functions without actually opening up the device. Since the iPod jog wheel is solid state, a simple circuit can deactivate it whenever you open the case.
The whole thing could be about 2/3rds of an inch thick -- each half of the clamshell about 1/3rd -- one half holding a large battery, and the other half holding the electronic bits and a hard drive.
Benefits:
Small, yet big: it opens up to double the screen real-estate.
Screens are protected from scratchs without the need for any external cover.
Easy to hold and write or draw on.
...
I have often wanted a device to replace my pad and paper, that could go in my pocket, yet was legible and ergonomic. Add a microphone and a HDD so that I can store and sync a large number of documents/correspondence, and I can throw away three devices -- voice recorder, notepad, MP3 player.
Convenient enough that I would "pay" an Apple tax for it.
people don't want to spend $500 for a palm pda but will pay for the ipod.
ipod is the best mp3 player.. but a pda is not very useful: is bad for music, bad for calling and for websurfing.... SJ is right.
MS make the PocketPC but they loss a lot of money, the same happen with tablet. They can do it, they can try new technology and let the market decide. They are full of money to waste.
Apple can't do.
They have to do something for mass market, something that can be sold. Pda and cell phone is a difficult market. They have to invent a new way of using such technology. And build around that a new cool experience. Like the ipod. I think travelling is a human activity where people spend a lot and that could be supported better by technology.
Many buy cameras only to take shots during holidays. And a lot of guides. New pda with gps for car are selling very well.
I think that a gadget that can help the travelling experience could be wellcome.
And could have the form that Matsu described.
Originally posted by nevoz
ipod is the best mp3 player.. but a pda is not very useful: is bad for music, bad for calling and for websurfing.... SJ is right.
Most PDAs are poor at what they do. However, if Apple combines the iPod with a PDA, it should be a very good seller. Look at the market right now: You have PDAs, cell phones, and portable MP3 players. Cell Phones and PDAs are starting to merge, with great results. I like that my cell phone allows me to store a detailed address book and calendar that synchronizes with my Mac.
Considering the great sales of the iPod and the fact that most music players being released have no PDA capabilities at all, I think Apple could have a coup if they keep all the iPod functionality and ease of use and add all the PDA functions that people want as well. I also like that my iPod stores calendar and contact information, but wish it did more. Of course, I could be wrong. It appears that the target market for iPods is basically the same as the target market for Sony Walkmans. I hope Apple releases an iPod/PDA hybrid that allows the market to choose if they want it. I know I will buy one if they do.
Matthew
now an apple pda/type thing with pen input + this = something i could use...
But...
Apple is working on something in their skunkworks. About the size of two iPods side-by-side. For all I know, it might be a trackpad that could be hooked up to the computer via USB or Bluetooth to be used in place of a mouse. Tapping the screen is like clicking the one-button mouse that Apple is adamant about shipping with their computers. If it hooked up to the computer via FireWire, it could have a hard drive that could contain your Home folder and recharge the device. Inkwell support could be expanded to recognize writing with your finger (sounds a bit strange, but easy to get used to - just like a mouse was back in '84 - and do you really want to use a plastic easy-to-lose stylus). It would probably be easy to iSync everything from Mail contacts, to iCal dates, to iTunes songs, to iPhoto pictures and anything else you may need in your iLife.
Have I covered enough of the rumors floating around from defunct sites?