Fran, I have no idea what you are talking about then. There were alot of Keynotes that seemed like something better should have been released but nothing was.
Fran, your desire for a Newton replacement has you phantasying conspiracy from the shrinking ranks of the Newton faithful. Apple NEVER cut a Newton at the last minute, that much is very clear, any number of new model propositions must have fallen through over the last two very dissapointing years from Apple, especially with their extensive CPU woes. Any holes in many of their keynote let-downs go directly back to a total miscalculation about what buyers consider a fair price or significant innovation, or the dishearteninng knowledge that they just didn't have anything that even Steve might convince people they needed. I remember embarassing silence after cube prices and iMac patterns to name but two instances. If a Newton update was ever killed, it was mostly likely done immediately after Steve's return and was a mild bump, not some planned out Newton revival.
Apple might have considered branding a palm at one point, when they considered buying palm, but that's as far as it goes, they weren't going to release an Apple branded palm unless they owned the brand.
Newton is dead and never threatened to return, especially inthe timeline you describe.
<strong>Matsu- I never said that the Newton was coming back.
But I can assure you that Apple had a handheld device ready to be introduced at Macworld, and it was cut from the show.</strong><hr></blockquote>
*******
Goddammn it to hell. I could REALLY have used a good PDA from then to now. I can't say anything about what program that I was working on, but IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT BIG HELP!
Fran:
I think that I recall that your posts had some
element of 'knowing something', but not being able to say anything about it.
Are you still under NDA? Can you say anything about this PDA?
Fran, what kind of work do you do that you would be under NDA?
5 think mebbe someone was yanking your chain. A keyboardless iBook has been shown to be rather handicapped, and that's about all they could have had to fit the tablet mold. If you put any stock in the kormacian nonsense of times gone by, I will have to smack you. Anything they could have had, either wasn't worth the time or prohibitively expensive and if true, then they were absolutely right to pull it.* There never were any such inventions as that pulles at the last minute. Even the better M$ tablet computing models, like Compaq's offering have rapidly fizzled out after the initial impressions they made because now that people are using them, they can experience all the shortcomings first hand.
*you and I both know what a real and useful tablet would look like. Something A5 sized, thin, light, running a reasonable resolution, CHEAP and a supplement to the computing paradigms already in use (desktop or notebook) NOT a replacement for either, and yet not a wireless display (something even more absurdly useless.
Uh, that's roughly the size of the old Newton 2x00 line... Man, it that thing had been all screen across the front... *drool* I still fantasize about hacking mine to replace the bulky AAs with a LiIon flat pack, and the Interconnect Port with USB. *sigh* Would cut down on the bulk considerably.
Take a sheet of paper. Fold it in half. That's 1.5 inches taller and .5 inch wider than 5x7. Paperback sized is perfect, with a whisper thin edge around the screen.
<strong>Uh, that's roughly the size of the old Newton 2x00 line... Man, it that thing had been all screen across the front... *drool* I still fantasize about hacking mine to replace the bulky AAs with a LiIon flat pack, and the Interconnect Port with USB. *sigh* Would cut down on the bulk considerably.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Do you think a Newton 2x00 with todays technology could hold a 40 Gig 1.8" HD, 1 USB and 1 Firewire port? And about 64 Mb ram..
Do you think a Newton 2x00 with todays technology could hold a 40 Gig 1.8" HD, 1 USB and 1 Firewire port? And about 64 Mb ram..</strong><hr></blockquote>
Oh easily. Take an iPod... that's about 1/4 the size of what we're talking about, roughly. Plenty of room for all the rest. As usual, the battery would likely take up a huge chunk. (Come on, fuel cells!)
As a few of the Digital Hubbers may recollect, I broke down and bought a Palm M505 at Christmas.
It's alright, but only when you stop thinking about how great the experience should be.
No hard drive or Firewire, no recording or dictation to text abilities, even the syncing is a kludge between needing BOTH iSync and Palm Desktop.
I now wonder not why Apple isn't doing it, but to question why NO-ONE is doing it.
Think about that for a minute. Apple-devotees have been calling for a new PDA since the Newton 2100, oh so many years ago. Unlike areas like iTunes and iPhoto, Apple has specifically and openly disavowed any interest in the segment.
Why haven't any of the Mac-centric companies picked up the torch and run with it? A small LCD attached to a hard drive and firewire port, along with compatible productivity software is within the realm of many of the companies that advertise their wares in the back pages of Macworld.
Does anyone know why no-one dares take on Palm? Or maybe everyone agrees with Jobs that this is a segment destined to be owned by the Cell Phone makers. However in my fifteen years with the Mac, I've seen venture capitalists back some really hare-brained products, and it just seems strange that with a market like this up for grabs, no-one is answering the call.
It would seem like a lot of trouble to have a PDA ready to go - and to cancel it at the last minute.
I mean, unless they were gonna post-ship it a couple months later - they would have to already have signed a contract for production, etc.
If something was THAT close to being released and shipped, we DEFINITELY would have heard something or seens something.
SOMETHING would have leaked.
I won't question that it was something that was being explored - but there's no way they would have gotten that far only to cancel it at the last moment.
I know I'm loved when I can't even celebrate my birthday without being missed.
You guys want proof, I can't give it to you. I've got no pictures or specs of this mysterious device which is what people really want. The only time I ever posted anything about my former company here, I got in trouble. So I'm definitely not saying anything else.
Comments
Apple might have considered branding a palm at one point, when they considered buying palm, but that's as far as it goes, they weren't going to release an Apple branded palm unless they owned the brand.
Newton is dead and never threatened to return, especially inthe timeline you describe.
But I can assure you that Apple had a handheld device ready to be introduced at Macworld, and it was cut from the show.
<strong>Matsu- I never said that the Newton was coming back.
But I can assure you that Apple had a handheld device ready to be introduced at Macworld, and it was cut from the show.</strong><hr></blockquote>
*******
Goddammn it to hell. I could REALLY have used a good PDA from then to now. I can't say anything about what program that I was working on, but IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT BIG HELP!
Fran:
I think that I recall that your posts had some
element of 'knowing something', but not being able to say anything about it.
Are you still under NDA? Can you say anything about this PDA?
Re-branded Palm?
Ressurected Newton?
Reduced OS X?
Respond when you can.
Respectfully,
Aries 1B
5 think mebbe someone was yanking your chain. A keyboardless iBook has been shown to be rather handicapped, and that's about all they could have had to fit the tablet mold. If you put any stock in the kormacian nonsense of times gone by, I will have to smack you. Anything they could have had, either wasn't worth the time or prohibitively expensive and if true, then they were absolutely right to pull it.* There never were any such inventions as that pulles at the last minute. Even the better M$ tablet computing models, like Compaq's offering have rapidly fizzled out after the initial impressions they made because now that people are using them, they can experience all the shortcomings first hand.
*you and I both know what a real and useful tablet would look like. Something A5 sized, thin, light, running a reasonable resolution, CHEAP and a supplement to the computing paradigms already in use (desktop or notebook) NOT a replacement for either, and yet not a wireless display (something even more absurdly useless.
We're not there yet, but getting closer...
<strong>
Fran:
I think that I recall that your posts had some
element of 'knowing something', but not being able to say anything about it.
Are you still under NDA? Can you say anything about this PDA?
Re-branded Palm?
Ressurected Newton?
Reduced OS X?
Respond when you can.
Respectfully,
Aries 1B</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yea, common spill the beans! I get sooooo excited when I hear a thread like this.
[ 03-16-2003: Message edited by: Mac_Man ]</p>
Just to keep the ball rolling......
<a href="http://www.envestco2.com/macwhispers/archives/000047.php"; target="_blank">macwhispers march10th</a>
Although it sounds a little bulky....around paperback-sized, this could very well be such a thing.
whoops...it's item #3
[ 03-16-2003: Message edited by: taboo ]</p>
Take a sheet of paper. Fold it in half. That's 1.5 inches taller and .5 inch wider than 5x7. Paperback sized is perfect, with a whisper thin edge around the screen.
<strong>Bulky? Nah, sounds just about right for a small tablet (rather than PDA-sized).</strong><hr></blockquote>
That would be ~6 inch screen... A bit small, yes/no?
But if the price is good, then of course, this might be a killer...
I never liked the idea of a 12" tablet.. To bulky for notes!
<strong>Uh, that's roughly the size of the old Newton 2x00 line... Man, it that thing had been all screen across the front... *drool* I still fantasize about hacking mine to replace the bulky AAs with a LiIon flat pack, and the Interconnect Port with USB. *sigh* Would cut down on the bulk considerably.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Do you think a Newton 2x00 with todays technology could hold a 40 Gig 1.8" HD, 1 USB and 1 Firewire port? And about 64 Mb ram..
<strong>
Do you think a Newton 2x00 with todays technology could hold a 40 Gig 1.8" HD, 1 USB and 1 Firewire port? And about 64 Mb ram..</strong><hr></blockquote>
Oh easily. Take an iPod... that's about 1/4 the size of what we're talking about, roughly. Plenty of room for all the rest. As usual, the battery would likely take up a huge chunk. (Come on, fuel cells!)
It's alright, but only when you stop thinking about how great the experience should be.
No hard drive or Firewire, no recording or dictation to text abilities, even the syncing is a kludge between needing BOTH iSync and Palm Desktop.
I now wonder not why Apple isn't doing it, but to question why NO-ONE is doing it.
Think about that for a minute. Apple-devotees have been calling for a new PDA since the Newton 2100, oh so many years ago. Unlike areas like iTunes and iPhoto, Apple has specifically and openly disavowed any interest in the segment.
Why haven't any of the Mac-centric companies picked up the torch and run with it? A small LCD attached to a hard drive and firewire port, along with compatible productivity software is within the realm of many of the companies that advertise their wares in the back pages of Macworld.
Does anyone know why no-one dares take on Palm? Or maybe everyone agrees with Jobs that this is a segment destined to be owned by the Cell Phone makers. However in my fifteen years with the Mac, I've seen venture capitalists back some really hare-brained products, and it just seems strange that with a market like this up for grabs, no-one is answering the call.
<strong>Nice to see that Fran has conveniently avoided replying to this thread any more.
Yes, no Fran... <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
I mean, unless they were gonna post-ship it a couple months later - they would have to already have signed a contract for production, etc.
If something was THAT close to being released and shipped, we DEFINITELY would have heard something or seens something.
SOMETHING would have leaked.
I won't question that it was something that was being explored - but there's no way they would have gotten that far only to cancel it at the last moment.
You guys want proof, I can't give it to you. I've got no pictures or specs of this mysterious device which is what people really want. The only time I ever posted anything about my former company here, I got in trouble. So I'm definitely not saying anything else.
<strong>I know I'm loved when I can't even celebrate my birthday without being missed.
Happy belated birthday Fran
... now spill the beans!!