The Return of the Newton?

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by nekokami

The aftermarket one? They must have changed, if so, because I asked about that specifically when they first came out, and was told (by them) that it wasn't pressure-sensitive.

You were probably spot on with your remark about the artists.

[yvanleterrible]

I've always had a soft spot for Apple but my wallet doesn't.

This little device I'd like for its OS or ease of use and if Apple is wanting to see us bend down and ask us to repent, then I challenge them to give us that device in a 1/8" thick tablet, flexible, transparent way cooler format.

[gmanacsa]

Originally Posted by shiggie

...snip...
If Apple were to release such a device, it would probably employ a stricter DRM than that of a Sony device; furthermore, it would probably have functionality limited in such as way as to bind the user to some subscription-based service.
...snip...

Historically, Apple's DRM has been much less restrictive (and functional) than that imposed by Microsoft through Windows Media Player or by Sony through its late, unlamented ATRAC scheme. This fits with Apple's overall design philosophy, since draconian DRM is very contrary to a positive user experience.

The iPhone's hardware lockdown is an inconvenient limitation for a subset of users, but the vast majority don't care about installing third-party apps. The AT&T lockdown is more problematic, but if gaining free rein on the iPhone's hardware and software required a carrier lock-in as part of the deal, then I think it was a worthwhile trade from a user experience standpoint. Imagine what the iPhone would be like if AT&T and the other carriers had their customary control over its capabilities and feature set, as they do with other devices.

Besides, as others have said, this would be a non-issue for a non-phone device anyway -- Macs and iPods certainly have no requirements for any subscription-based tie-in.

[vivaldirules]

Originally Posted by petermillard

Or iPad maybe?

Whatever, I think it's all still rumour at the moment (i.e. nothing confirmed) so no need to stop speculating just yet!

Congratulations for being the first here to correctly predict the name of the iPad over two years ago!

[rlparker]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

Congratulations for being the first here to correctly predict the name of the iPad over two years ago!

Yeah, petermillard, congrats! You must be awesome in office betting pools!

It's kinda fun to see these old posts to see who was around "way back then". (It might be kinda cool if the forum software remembered your avatar instead of always using your current one.)

[Sweetpea]

Nice find, VR! It's amazing how many things did turn out as predicted...

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Wouldn't it be grand if that "iSlate" was Apple's answer to a UMPC; Full OS'd to boot!

Wrong there

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Externally, the mutil-touch PDA has been described by sources as an ultra-thin "slate" akin to the iPhone, about 1.5 times the size and sporting an approximate 720x480 high-resolution display that comprises almost the entire surface of the unit. The device is further believed to leverage multi-touch concepts which have yet to gain widespread adoption in Apple's existing multi-touch products -- the iPhone and iPod touch -- like drag-and-drop and copy-and-paste.


from:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...he_newton.html

A bit bigger than 1.5 times, I'd say, but still, a large itouch it is!

[WillAdams]

Unfortunately, it's still not a replacement for my Newton MessagPad:

- too large to fit in a pocket (my MP100 does fit in shirts which I had tailored to have pockets of the size necessary)
- battery life measured in hours, not days or weeks
- no stylus
- no handwriting recognition

It would also be nice at this late date to have pressure-sensitivity.

Guess I'll be getting an Axiotron ModBook instead.

William

[Dr. Drib]

They could call it the "Edsel."


Don

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Wrong there

Oh, and what was your prediction, that aPple would never do anything?

[nekokami]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

Unfortunately, it's still not a replacement for my Newton MessagPad:

- too large to fit in a pocket (my MP100 does fit in shirts which I had tailored to have pockets of the size necessary)
- battery life measured in hours, not days or weeks
- no stylus
- no handwriting recognition

It would also be nice at this late date to have pressure-sensitivity.

Can't argue with you on the size. An iPod Touch fits in a shirt pocket, but not this one. I would have liked to see an intermediate size. Maybe next year.

However:
- I'd call 10 hours of battery life at least one day, usually two the way I use devices (unless I'm taking notes at a conference), and it will keep a charge for a month if not in use, which is pretty comparable to the MP2000, anyway
- A stylus is available. I highly recommend the PogoSketch, which I've been using with my iPod Touch for about a month. Very nice response and precision.
- HWR is also available. I use the app "WritePad" on my iPod Touch, and I think it would be ideal for the iPad. The HWR is VERY similar to what the Newton offered. Another option is to use an "ink" notes app, like FastFinga, and sync with Evernote, which does HWR on your notes and makes them searchable. To my mind, this is an improvement on the Newton.

Unfortunately, pressure sensitivity and multitouch don't seem to be compatible (yet). But I could easily see an enhancement to capacitive screens that would allow them to estimate how hard one is pressing based on the connection size or capacitance or something like that. It might only take a software enhancement.