Hey, Apple: Remember the Newton…
February 27, 2007When the Newton was introduced, it was a great device that lacked a supporting infrastructure. It couldn’t really communicate or share files or information; there weren’t a whole lot of uses for it…
After John Sculley’s demo I thought “I’ve got to get me one of these. I hope it also does this — I hope it also does that.” It didn’t quite; but it eventually got close.
Now there’s the internet, cellular communications, web standards, MP3, MP4 etc. All waiting for a single device that’s ridiculously intuitive to use, and sexy. The iPhone appears to be all of those things.
What does Apple’s iPhone have in common with the failed Apple Newton of more than a decade ago? Nothing. Yet.
But I was reminded of the Newton lately and how, despite its current hot streak, Apple doesn’t have an unblemished record when it comes to introducing innovative new devices. And the company may well be making some of the same mistakes now as it made in 1993 when it introduced Newton.
Newton was the first serious attempt in the industry at a PDA. I took my old Newton out of the box recently and, while it’s very large by today’s standards, it also remains very powerful — by today’s standards. It was an excellent device…
Hey, Apple: Remember the Newton before releasing iPhone - Computerworld Blogs
